A Hawaii grandmother has been sentenced to 10 years of probation after being found responsible for the tragic starvation death of her 9-year-old granddaughter.
Henrietta Stone, 67, was sentenced on February 13 by a Hilo Circuit Court judge. She won’t be serving any additional jail time beyond the years she already spent in custody while awaiting trial.
Back in 2016, Henrietta had custody of her granddaughter, Shaelynn Lehano-Stone. The young girl was found unconscious in her grandmother’s apartment, severely malnourished, and weighing just 45 pounds. She was rushed to the hospital but sadly didn’t survive. Medical reports showed that Shaelynn had suffered from pneumonia, kidney infection, and extreme malnutrition.
Henrietta was originally charged with second-degree murder but later struck a deal with prosecutors, pleading no contest to manslaughter instead. The prosecution had pushed for the maximum sentence of 20 years, but the judge ruled otherwise, a decision that left many—especially Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen—deeply frustrated.
“There aren’t words to describe my disappointment in this case,” Waltjen said. “Shaelynn and our community deserved better.”
Shaelynn’s parents, Kevin Lehano, 57, and Tiffany Stone, 41, also played a role in her suffering. All three adults—her parents and grandmother—kept food away from her. Prosecutors revealed that the refrigerators in their home even had alarms to prevent her from sneaking food. Kevin and Tiffany were sentenced to 10 years of probation in 2021 after serving two years in jail.
Authorities had been involved with Shaelynn’s family for years. Child welfare documents showed she was removed from her home multiple times due to neglect. Her mother eventually gave up custody, and in 2015, Henrietta pulled her out of school to homeschool her—one of the last documented changes before Shaelynn’s heartbreaking death.
Investigators later found that the young girl endured extreme physical and psychological abuse at the hands of all three family members.
Despite the outcome of the case, prosecutors say they will continue fighting for justice for vulnerable children in their community.
