Circuit Judge Randal Lee today sentenced Alapeti Tunoa Jr. to serve between 30 years to life in prison for the horrific murder of Janel Tupuola last year on a quiet Kailua residential street.

Prosecutor Peter Carlisle called the crime "the inhuman, barbarous, merciless slaughter of a young woman."

Carlisle for the first time invoked a "three strikes" law passed by the Legislature in 2006 to ask that Tunoa serve an extra 10 years behind bars because he is "habitual violent felon."

The prosecutor said there is a bill pending at the Legislature now to repeal that law, but he urged that the statute remain on the books "permanently"

Tupuola was the mother of five and "lived and loved her life to the fullest," said her mother, Maile Badajos.

Tunoa, the former boyfriend of Tupuola, told Lee, "I'm really sorry things happened the way they did. I'm here now. I take responsibility."

Lee sentenced Tunoa, 31, to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Use of the habitual violent felon law stretches the minimum amount of time the defendant must serve before being even considered for parole from 20 years to 30 years, said Carlisle.

And his office will argue to the Hawaii Paroling Authority that Tunoa never receive parole, said the prosecutor.

In a change of plea earlier today, Tunoa pleaded guilty to killing Tupuola.

Witnesses said he rammed her car with a sport utility vehicle, then dragged her from the car and beat her to death with the butt of a shotgun.

A man who attempted to intervene was threatened and struck in the head by Tunoa, a construction worker who is 6 feet 2 and 340 pounds.

In addition to murder, Tunoa was charged with assault, terroristic threatening and firearms offenses.