Man charged in
murder said ‘I shot
him,’ friend testifies

By Debra Barayuga
Star-Bulletin

A friend of murder suspect Tyrone Galdones said he was in a car waiting for Galdones outside a Nanakuli home a week ago when he heard two gunshots.

Shortly afterward, Galdones jumped into the car, stashed a gun under the driver's seat and drove off, Prince Tanele testified yesterday.

"I shot him, I shot the guy, I shot him," Galdones told Tanele as they sped off.

"(Tanele) had no idea what was going to happen," said Deputy Prosecutor Vince Kanemoto.

Galdones is charged with second-degree murder in the Aug. 19 shooting death of James Zoucha, 27. Zoucha was seeing Galdones' ex-girlfriend, Tammy Aiwohi.

A District Court judge yesterday found there was sufficient evidence to try Galdones on the second-degree murder charge and sent the case to Circuit Court.

Tanele said he had been drinking with Galdones the night before and was supposed to be dropped off at his Waipahu home. But Galdones kept driving and ended up at a Nanakuli home.

The night before, Galdones had showed Tanele a gun. It was the same gun Galdones stashed under the driver's seat before speeding away from the Hakimo Road home, Tanele said.

Aiwohi had told police she and Zoucha were sleeping at her home when she awoke to hear Galdones calling her from outside her window and asking her who she was sleeping with.

She told Galdones it was none of his business and to leave. A short time later, she heard shots and realized Zoucha had been hit.