Police say man
admitted killingThe man allegedly confessed
to stabbing a Sunset Beach man
A homeless man allegedly admitted to two others that he stabbed a 61-year-old Sunset Beach resident to death last month, according to court documents.
Anthony P. Mercado, 40, told two other homeless men that he killed Percy Baker, 61, whose body was found on June 2 at his home at 58-038 Kamehameha Highway, according to a police affidavit filed yesterday. Baker's body was found on his bed and wrapped in a blanket. Witnesses last saw him alive on May 27.
Mercado had an initial court appearance yesterday and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing tomorrow. He is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail.
According to the affidavit, a witness named Richard Peck told police that he saw Baker with Mercado often, including the last day that Baker was seen alive.
Peck said he and his friends later confronted Mercado, on either June 1 or 2, and asked him if he hurt Baker. Mercado allegedly told them that he had killed Baker, according to the affidavit.
Another witness, Lance Balios, told police that he lives in a tent on the beach near Mercado's campsite on the North Shore and that in the early morning of May 28, Mercado woke him up and asked to borrow a shovel.
According to the affidavit, Mercado told Balios that "Percy" had grabbed his genitals, so he killed Baker by stabbing him in the chest and neck.
Both Balios and Peck identified Mercado's picture in a photo lineup.
Police arrested Mercado on warrants Thursday and charged him over the weekend with second-degree murder. He was arraigned yesterday in court.