Suspect in 1999 murder
arrested on drug charges

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By Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.com

HILO >> A Big Island man once accused of a drug-related murder has been arrested by the FBI and county police on unrelated charges of distributing crystal methamphetamine and conspiring to distribute the drug.

John Joseph Griffiths II, 38, was arrested without incident at his Mountain View home yesterday and was to be taken to Honolulu where he would go before a federal magistrate Monday. He will be charged at that "initial appearance."

Griffiths' home was searched at the time of the arrest. The FBI said Griffiths' home was previously searched on June 8. The results of the searches were not disclosed.

In 1999, Griffiths was tried in Honolulu on state murder charges. The prosecution alleged that he had participated with others in the 1989 execution-style shooting death of Eric Kamanu, a bodybuilder who was also alleged to have been a cocaine dealer.

The defense said witnesses against Griffiths had motives to kill Kamanu and might have done it themselves.

The jury deadlocked 8-4. One of the four against conviction said the evidence was not strong enough and some of the witnesses were not believable. At one time the prosecution said it would retry the case.