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Windward areas The unsolved murder of a Kaneohe liquor store owner troubles residents in two Windward Oahu communities.
fearful as killing
goes unsolved
'It was very upsetting because
it was so close to home,' says a
woman who lives in the areaBy Leila Fujimori
Star-Bulletin"It was very upsetting because it was so close to home," said Kaneohe resident Ann Mitchell, who bought a quart of milk at Angie's Market from owner Song Chol Marshall just before the murder two weeks ago. She was alarmed to see his photo in the newspaper.
Marshall's body was found in a Waimanalo Dumpster on Christmas Day. He had been shot in the head. Police believe he may have been robbed.
Wendy Medeiros, who lives directly across Kaneohe Bay Drive from Angie's, said the murder "was kind of scary." Her 9-year-old son stayed indoors for five days after the shooting because he was afraid to play outside.
Police asked Medeiros if she heard gunshots Christmas Eve night. But Medeiros said fireworks "bombs" were going off that night and, "If there was a gunshot, no one would notice.""Already, it's two weeks and HPD has no clues yet," said Barry Kim, who lives next door to Angie's Market.
Police reviewed a Dec. 24 store videotape, which only showed steady customers and employees that night. Police also gained little information from talking to motorists during a Dec. 28 roadblock on Kaneohe Bay Drive.
Kim, who cashiered for his parents when they owned the market , said robberies may be common, but shootings are unusual.
"They just take the money, but they don't shoot," he said.
Kim, who attended Marshall's funeral, said Korean associations are upset at the lack of progress on the case.
On Christmas Day, the owner of Keneke's, a Waimanalo drive-in restaurant, called police at 3 p.m. when he found Marshall's clothed body with one shoe missing.
But Marshall's white 2000 Chevrolet Express van had been found engulfed in flames at 3:50 a.m. that day, miles away on a street in Mapunapuna
"There is some significance as to the dumping of the body in Waimanalo and the burning of the van in Mapunapuna, but we won't know the significance until we find suspects," said police homicide Lt. Bill Kato. "They took a big chance dumping the body there. It's strange they did that without someone seeing them."
He said the Dumpster is in plain view from the 7-Eleven parking lot, where nightly traffic is heavy. The Dumpster is also visible from Kalanianaole Highway.
Kato continues to lean toward robbery as a motive."This guy doesn't seem to have any skeletons," he said of Marshall. "All his business associates spoke highly of him."
Joe Kindrick, the Waimanalo Beach Park 7-Eleven store manager, says the store was busier than usual on Christmas Eve.
He said some of his night-shift remain fearful. The girls were apprehensive about taking the trash to our Dumpster for fear of what might be inside," Kindrick said. He says they exercise extra caution, especially late at night.
But all 7-Eleven employees take precautions that might have saved Marshall, who had cash from the day's sales when he locked up the store at 10:30 p.m. Dec. 24. Kindrick says deposits from a store are never made after dark.
Marshall's wife, Kyong, continues to busy herself with work at the store. "We are thankful for everybody," she said. Friends, customers and relatives have helped, as well as her 15-year-old son's tae kwon do friends and parents. Police are still seeking witnesses in the case. Anyone with information can call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.