HONOLULU — A man who secretly lived in a military family’s home and later brutally beat his prison cellmate to death was sentenced to 40 years Wednesday on four separate criminal convictions.

What You Need To Know

  • Ezequiel Zayas received 20 years in prison for manslaughter, 10 years for first-degree burglary, five years for second-degree burglary and another five years for second-degree assault

  • According to prosecutors, Zayas secretly lived in a Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam residence belonging to James and Brittany Campbell when the couple and their two children were away on vacation for a week in 2019. Police later discovered that Zayas had kept detailed plans for performing surgery on the family on a laptop in the house, indicating he likely was inside the house for longer than a week

  • The bizarre case drew national attention, and Zayas’ case was featured on the Lifetime show "Phrogging: Hider in My House"

  • The sentencing came exactly three years from the date that Zayas killed 62-year-old Vance Grace in an unprovoked prison attack in which Zayas pummeled Grace with his hands and stomped on his head

Ezequiel Zayas received 20 years in prison for manslaughter, 10 years for first-degree burglary, five years for second-degree burglary and another five years for second-degree assault. The sentences will run consecutively for a total sentence of 40 years.

The Department of the Attorney General prosecuted the manslaughter case. The Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney handled the other three cases.

The sentencing came exactly three years after Zayas killed 62-year-old Vance Grace in an unprovoked prison attack in which he pummeled Grace with his hands and stomped on his head.

“We are grateful that (Circuit Court Judge Rowena Somerville) agreed that Zayas deserves the maximum sentence,” said Deputy Attorney General Adrian Dhakhwa. “Each of his victims deserve their own measure of justice.”

According to prosecutors, Zayas secretly lived in a Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam residence belonging to James and Brittany Campbell when the couple and their two children were on vacation for a week in 2019. James Campbell used a sledgehammer to get Zayas to leave the home.

Police later discovered that Zayas had kept detailed plans for performing surgery on the family on a laptop in the house, indicating he likely was inside the house for longer than a week.

The bizarre case drew national attention, and Zayas’ case was featured on the Lifetime show “Phrogging: Hider in My House,” which explores the phenomena of secretly living in someone else’s house, a.k.a. “phrogging.”

In May, Zaya pleaded guilty to each of the four counts as part of a plea deal that saved him from a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder rather than the lesser offense of manslaughter.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.