Hawaii Island police have charged the suspect in the Puna murder investigation that left an 82-year-old Hawaiian Paradise Park woman dead.
According to police, Robert Dean Merrill has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his mother, Betty Jean Merrill.
He remains in police custody in lieu of $1,000,000 bail pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Monday in Hilo District Court.
Merrill’s charges stem from an incident on Friday, when Puna Patrol officers responded to a residence on 15th Avenue in Hawaiian Paradise Park. Arriving officers contacted Merrill outside of the residence, and they were directed to a bedroom inside, where they discovered the unresponsive victim with severe injuries to her head and facial areas. Merrill was subsequently arrested at the scene.
An autopsy was performed, and the pathologist concluded that the victim died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, face, and neck. The manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to call Detective Wendall Carter of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at 961-2383 or WendallCarter@hawaiicounty.gov or the Hawaii Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311.