The wife of convicted killer Glenn Keohokapu Jr. testified very reluctantly against her husband in a sentencing hearing yesterday morning, then stopped in the afternoon after saying she wanted to talk to a lawyer.

A Circuit Court jury last month convicted Keohokapu, 36, of manslaughter in the June 8, 2008, death of Steven Wilcox, 19, outside a Kane'ohe karaoke club.

The same jury was called back into court yesterday to hear evidence in the state's efforts to sentence Keohokapu to life in prison instead of the normal 20-year term for manslaughter.

"It is necessary that he be put away for an extended term for the protection of the public," Deputy Prosecutor Kristine Yoo told the jury.

In seeking the extended sentence, the state must show that Keohokapu is a "persistent offender" and danger to the public.

The hearing continues today and involves presentation of evidence about Keohokapu's record of three earlier felony convictions as well as domestic violence cases involving his wife, Kauilani Keohokapu.

She was on the witness stand all morning, at one point breaking down in tears as Yoo asked her to recount previous domestic abuse cases going back as far as 1994.

"This is a part of my life that I never wanted to dig back up," Kauilani Keohoka- pu said at one point.

She admitted writing police and court complaints that said Glenn Keohokapu had punched, pushed, head-butted and bitten her during three earlier domestic disputes.

The couple was arguing outside a Kane'ohe nightclub last year when Wilcox intervened and was fatally stabbed by Keohokapu.

When Kauilani Keohokapu returned to the witness stand after a lunch recess, she told Circuit Judge Virginia Crandall that she wanted to talk to a lawyer.

"I'm feeling uncomfortable that my past is being brought up," Keohokapu said.

Crandall excused her from the stand so that she could consult with a lawyer.

It's only the second time that a 2007 "extended sentencing" law has been used here.

The law was passed following decisions by the U.S. and Hawai'i supreme courts that held that juries must take part in extended sentencing proceedings.

The first use of the law here came in 2007 in the trial of murderer John Lorenzo Jr.

In that case, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on whether Lorenzo should serve life in prison without parole, leaving the decision up to the judge.

Lorenzo was later sentenced to a minimum term of 50 years behind bars.