Suspect in shooting is accused of bribery try
A murder suspect in last year's shooting on Kaneohe Bay Drive tried to bribe a witness in his upcoming trial, police said.
Honolulu police arrested Jerrico Dewon Lindsey April 24 on a charge of bribery of a witness. Police arrested Lindsey, 27, at Oahu Community Correctional Center, where he has been in custody, unable to post $3 million bail.
According to a police report, Lindsey attempted to bribe an unnamed witness on April 14. The witness refused to cooperate and notified police, the report said.
Lindsey's arrest on the bribery charge happened on the same day police arrested Melissa Ann Ordonez for kidnapping and robbery in connection with the May 14 shooting death of Benjamin Grajeda. Police booked her under her new name, Rihanna Joy Valentino. According to state records, Ordonez, 22, legally changed her name to Valentino in June.
Five days after the arrests, an Oahu grand jury returned an indictment charging Lindsey with second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, kidnapping, terroristic threatening and firearm offenses in Grajeda's killing. The indictment also charges Ordonez and Reginald Pettway with participating or assisting in the burglary, robbery and kidnapping.
U.S. marshals in Alabama arrested Pettway April 29. Pettway, 30, waived extradition proceedings and is awaiting transport to Oahu.
Lindsey and William Lee Freeman Jr., 36, were charged in an earlier indictment. Lindsey, Ordonez and Pettway are scheduled to stand trial in July.
The new indictment does not name Freeman.
Freeman's lawyer said he cannot talk about the case. The court referred inquiries about the case to Deputy Prosecutor Rom Trader, who also said he cannot talk about it.
Freeman had been charged with kidnapping and hindering prosecution.
Police and prosecutors said Ordonez enlisted the help of Lindsey, Freeman and Pettway to steal money and drugs from Grajeda's Puuohalai Place home. When Grajeda returned, the three men beat him and put him in the trunk of Freeman's car.
As the car was traveling on Kaneohe Bay Drive, Grajeda escaped from the trunk and ran down the roadway with Lindsey in pursuit, police said. One motorist said Lindsey fired shots from a handgun over the top of her vehicle as he was chasing Grajeda. That witness and a motorist in another vehicle said they saw Lindsey shoot Grajeda execution style in the middle of the roadway.
