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Youth, 17, to be tried
By Rod Ohira
for 2nd-degree murder
as an adult
Star-BulletinA 17-year-old youth will be tried for second-degree murder in the May 20 shooting death of Robert Rodemio despite shaky testimony by two state witnesses at a preliminary hearing.
District Judge Barbara Richardson ruled yesterday there was probable cause for the arrest of Joel Keoni Brunson and sent the case to Circuit Court for arraignment and plea July 24.
Richardson also confirmed Brunson's bail at $125,000 and ordered him not to contact the two witnesses who testified yesterday and two other minors, who are expected to testify at his trial.
Family Court waived its jurisdiction over Brunson on Friday, paving the way for him to be tried as an adult.
Brunson is accused of fatally wounding Rodemio, 18, during a brawl that occurred outside a Miula Street residence in Ewa, where a birthday party was being held.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Vince Kanemoto said the autopsy report notes that Rodemio was shot twice in the back and one of the bullets entered his heart, lung and liver, causing death.
Ryan Villarta, 20, testified that Brunson pointed a gun at him before Rodemio was shot.
Anthony Quisagan, 17, then testified he saw a person who was dressed like Brunson fire shots toward Rodemio from about 30-40 feet away.
"I saw him drop," Quisagan said of the shooting victim. "He was trying to run away."
Attorney Myles Breiner, representing Brunson, unsuccessfully argued that the charges should be dropped because neither witness could positively identify Brunson as the shooter and for contradictory statements on how the suspect was dressed that night.
The difference was on the type of pants but both agreed Brunson was wearing a white shirt and hat.
Though they both understand and speak English, Villarta and Quisagan appeared to have trouble comprehending some of the questions and answering with certainty.
The one-hour hearing resulted in some exchanges between the attorneys over "leading questions" to the witnesses by the state.
Quisagan, a neighbor of the Brunson family, said he was afraid to testify because "something might happen to me." Later he said he was sure the shooter was Brunson.
After the courtroom had been cleared of any potential witnesses, Kanemoto questioned the presence of a late arriving young man. The man says he was at District Court for an unrelated case and was just an observer.
The man was seen talking to Brunson's girlfriend after the hearing.
Breiner said Brunson's girlfriend knows the man and that he had seen her earlier at the courthouse and was curious to see what she was there for.
