Man found guilty of attempted murder

KEALAKEKUA — A Kailua-Kona man who nearly beat a man to death behind a downtown Kailua-Kona gas station last October was found guilty of second-degree attempted murder Wednesday after a weeklong jury trial.

A pre-sentence investigative report will be completed and Anthony Beaudet-Close will return to court for sentencing Sept. 13.

Beaudet-Close attacked the victim Oct. 28, 2016, near the 75-900 block of Henry Street behind the Aloha Gas Station. Officers discovered an unconscious man with injuries to the head.

The victim was transported to the Kona Community Hospital by ambulance and later flown to a hospital on Oahu.

The jury deliberated for about five hours before coming back with a verdict late Wednesday afternoon.