Aitasi on the hook for attempting to kill barber shop owner while committing theft; AG calls for journalistic integrity over clickbait

June 10, 2022- Tamuning, Guam- Frank Patrick Aitasi is on the hook for attempting to kill a Dededo barber shop owner during the course of committing theft and now faces a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 25 years in prison.

The defendant repeatedly struck his victim, dragged her across the floor, and beat her until she lost consciousness. He robbed her shop of thousands of dollars and took off on a bicycle. A witness heard the victim’s screams, observed the defendant standing over the victim, and called the police.

Aitasi was convicted yesterday via plea agreement of First Degree Robbery as a First Degree Felony and Theft of Property as a Second Degree Felony. To correct the factual and legal inaccuracies contained in a story run by The Guam Daily Post, Aitasi was convicted of attempting to kill a person during the course of committing theft. The beating of the victim and the theft of the shop constitute the crime of Robbery, categorized as a First Degree Felony–the most serious category recognized under Guam law. The default penalty for a First Degree Felony is 3 to 15 years. However, based on the egregious nature of the crime, by law, First Degree Robbery as a First Degree Felony carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 25 years in prison, not 20 years as reported.

“Clickbait should never come at the expense of getting a story right,” said Attorney General Leevin T. Camacho. “People rely on the media assuming some level of journalistic integrity, and we hope that in the future all reporters will strike the right balance between fulfilling this obligation and coming up with sensational headlines to generate user engagement and revenue.”