Veteran HPD detective
under probe in murder

Officer misconduct is alleged
in a case that ended in a mistrial

A veteran homicide detective is being investigated by the Honolulu Police Department's Internal Affairs division for alleged misconduct during an Aiea murder case that ended in a mistrial earlier this month.

The detective, with more than two decades on the force, is under criminal and administrative investigation involving the murder case of 49-year-old Greg Morishima, who was killed in October 2003 during what prosecutors call a drug robbery gone awry.

The investigation began on Wednesday, when the detective's police powers were stripped. The detective has been reassigned to administrative duties with HPD communications.

"We've talked to (the detective) already ... and we don't think there's anything (the detective) is guilty of," said Acting Lt. Alex Garcia, state chapter chairman of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers.

He expressed confidence that the "excellent detective" will "overcome this without any problems."

Garcia said he does not know the specifics of the case, but the investigation involves the detective's work in the Morishima case, which ended in a mistrial on April 11 after jurors deliberated for eight days.

Morishima was visiting friends at a Pamoho Place residence when he was gunned down in the carport by a group of masked gunmen four days before Halloween 2003. Morishima reportedly had commented that they were early for Halloween and laughed before the masked men opened fire.

Three men were tried for Morishima's murder: Micah Kanahele, 24, Rosalino Ramos, 24, and Jason Rumbawa, 25. A fourth defendant, Anthony Brown, 24, was charged with first-degree robbery. Kevin Harris, a fifth defendant, pleaded guilty earlier to a reduced charge of second-degree robbery and agreed to testify against his co-defendants.

Harris, the state's key witness, told police that he was present at the shooting but denied firing his weapon.

He said he and the other four defendants had driven to the Pamoho Place home after two unsuccessful attempts that evening to rob houses in the Aiea area where Kanahele claimed drugs were available or drug dealers lived.

Harris claimed he had been invited to join the group that day by Kanahele, who was in need of money to pay off debts. He said Kanahele was the one who directed them to the homes they were to hit, and also provided the weapons.

All four defendants denied being at the shooting and contended Harris was making up the story to deflect blame from himself.

Kanahele, Ramos and Harris are also awaiting trial in a separate shooting that occurred five days later in the parking lot of the Pearl City Longs store. One man was killed and another wounded in what police described as a botched marijuana sale.

The current internal affairs investigation is one of several ongoing high-profile probes involving police officers.

Others include HPD and the FBI's investigation of five police officers allegedly involved in illegal cockfighting, and a Waianae police officer who allegedly threatened the life of a tire shop owner last December while he was already under investigation in connection with an assault case from May.

The five police officers involved in the cockfighting investigation have been placed on unpaid police leave, while the Waianae police officer was placed on paid leave.