Prosecutor: Jealousy
prompted double murderA Big Island man is accused of killing
By Rod Thompson
two relatives of a woman who had an
affair with his girlfriend
Star-BulletinHILO -- Angry because his girlfriend was leaving him due to a love relationship with another woman next door, Ronald Alan DeReis murdered the other woman's father and brother in 1995, Deputy Prosecutor Brenda Carreira says.
After shooting the two at the rural Eden Roc subdivision,
DeReis, 47, dragged their bodies face-down behind his pickup truck to destroy their identities, Carreira said yesterday during opening statements in DeReis' murder trial.
Defense attorney Brian DeLima responded that DeReis suffers from epileptic incidents, suggesting a seizure may have blotted out his memory of the events.
DeReis told police he was not involved with the murders, DeLima said.
DeReis is charged with first-degree murder for killing two people in one case, Ernest Martinez, 58, the father, and Ernest Andrew Martinez Jr., 32, his son.
He is also charged with second-degree murder for each individual killing.
DeReis had known Cynthia "Cindy" Rixie for 10 years in 1995 and she had been his girlfriend for two years at that time, Carreira said.
Late in that year, DeReis discovered that Rixie was having an affair with Matilda Martinez, daughter of Ernest and sister of Andrew, who were his neighbors, Carreira said.
On discovering this, he threatened to kill all three neighbors, Matilda, Ernest, and Andrew, and "lay them out side by side," Carreira said.
"If he couldn't have Cindy, then nobody (could)," she said.
On Nov. 7, 1995, he kicked Cindy out of the house, Carreira said.
On the day of the shootings, Rixie and Matilda were away in Kona. On the night of the shootings, two teen-age boys saw a body behind DeReis's white Isuzu truck.
DeReis told the boys the man was having a heart attack and help was on the way.
The boys reported the incident to police, and Ernest's body was discovered in Eden Roc that night.
Three days later, Andrew's body was found where it had been dragged five miles away.
DeReis shaved his beard and his head to alter his appearance, Carreira said.
He also removed the camper top and tailgate from his pickup to change its appearance, she said.
Police made numerous mistakes in the case, DeLima countered.
They took a sample of Andrew's blood, then failed for 2-1/2 years to send it to the FBI for testing, he said.
Andrew was under police surveillance for allegedly growing marijuana, and he owed "a lot of money" to a friend for marijuana, but police failed to follow that lead, DeLima said.
