Police have arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of murder in connection with a badly decomposed body found Saturday in lower Puna.
Police have arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of murder in connection with a badly decomposed body found Saturday in lower Puna.
Eric James Fontes Jr., of no permanent address, was taken in custody without incident this afternoon at an East Palai Street home in Hilo, according to Lt. Greg Esteban with the Hilo Criminal Investigations Section.
“He’s being held on suspicion of second-degree murder, three counts of first-degree terroristic threatening, one count of second-degree theft and one count ownership or possession prohibited (of a firearm due to being a felon) and use of a firearm in commission of a separate felony,” Esteban said.
Esteban said the victim “remains unidentified at this time,” but added an autopsy conducted Tuesday concluded the victim was male and had been shot.
While police have not identified the body, it’s thought to be that of Barton Bumatay, a 59-year-old Hawaiian Paradise Park man who went missing New Year’s Eve.
“We’re working on acquiring the dental records,” Esteban said. “We have not confirmed the identity of the victim yet.”
Esteban did not say what led police to Fontes, who has been charged on an outstanding bench warrant for failure to appear.
Fontes has an extensive criminal record, with 34 convictions dating back to 2001. Eleven of those convictions are for felonies, including theft, forgery, violating terms of release and domestic abuse.
He also has misdemeanor convictions for terroristic threatening and violating a protective order.
Esteban said Fontes, when arrested, didn’t have a 2007 black Chevy Colorado pickup truck that police say went missing with Bumatay.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.