MARTINEZ — A man and woman have accepted plea deals in a 2023 Concord homicide with drastically different outcomes, court records show.
Sione Amanaki, 22, pleaded no contest to murder and a gun enhancement in exchange for a sentence of 32 years to life. His co-defendant, 20-year-old Haley Sparks-Hadsell, pleaded no contest to manslaughter and robbery for an eight-year, four-month prison term.
Amanaki was transferred to San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in August, records show. Sparks-Hadsell was sent to prison last July, and is incarcerated in Chowchilla.
The two were charged last year with murdering 21-year-old Eric William Cavazos at the Solano Plaza shopping center. Police said at the time that Amanaki and Sparks-Hadsell met with Cavazos there on March 21, 2023 and that Amanaki and Cavazos had a brief interaction that led to a confrontation, and eventually a struggle over a firearm.
Amanaki broke free, stepped back, and shot Cavazos in the head, police said. As he lay dying, Sparks-Hadsell allegedly rifled through his pockets before fleeing.
Dani Scott, a lawyer who represented Amanaki, said that Amanaki was initially facing a possible death sentence or life without parole, but will receive a chance for release after 25 years.
“Given how young he was at the time of the incident (21 years old), it’s unfortunate that the DA’s office would not consider a determinate sentence,” Scott said.
