A Hilo grand jury indicted a man for the death of a 49-year-old Honokaa man whose body was found early last year in a Waipio Valley stream.
A Hilo grand jury indicted a man for the death of a 49-year-old Honokaa man whose body was found early last year in a Waipio Valley stream.
The two-count indictment returned Wednesday charges Wayne Teves with second-degree murder and carrying or use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony. The victim was Thaine Ulysses Lucifer Price.
A bench warrant set Teves’ bail at $500,000. He had not been arrested as of late Friday afternoon.
According to the indictment, Price was murdered March 2, 2016.
Teves “intentionally or knowingly” caused Price’s death and he “intentionally used or threatened to use a firearm” in the commission of the murder, according to the document.
Police said little about Price’s death, but according to a written statement, his body was found March 3, 2016, partially submerged in the stream. Police announced four days later they opened a murder investigation but didn’t say how Price died. The indictment suggests but doesn’t explicitly state that Price was shot to death.
A police statement Feb. 1 said detectives completed their investigation and routed the case to prosecutors for review.
Friday afternoon calls to the Hilo Criminal Investigations Section weren’t returned by press time.
A search of court records found no felony convictions for a Wayne Teves in Hawaii.
Second-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole upon conviction. Carrying or use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony is a Class A felony punishable by a prison term of up to 20 years.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.