Police have a 65-year-old Puna man in custody in connection with what authorities say was a homicide that took place Thursday evening in the driveway of the man’s home.
Isauro Garcia Madrigal has been booked on suspicion of second-degree murder, but hasn’t been charged pending further investigation by detectives.
Shortly before 8:30 p.m. Thursday, officers responded to a home on 37th Avenue in Orchidland Estates subdivision on a report of a verbal argument.
“A neighbor called police indicating that they heard some arguing going on over in that area,” said Lt. Rio Amon-Wilkins of the Hawaii Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Section in Hilo.
Madrigal, who was sitting outside the gate of his property when police arrived, told officers two men had entered his property and attacked him with a knife.
Officers found the deceased man’s body on Madrigal’s driveway, just inside the fence.
Amon-Wilkins declined to speculate whether the killing was in self-defense, but said, “The guy was home by himself. The gate was locked. The deceased was inside of the gate.”
According to police, the victim had what appeared to be blunt-force trauma injuries to his head and had been stabbed.
Amon-Wilkins said it’s possible the victim’s blunt-force injuries could have been suffered in a fall.
“The area where the deceased was, there’s a pile of rocks turned into a rock wall that doesn’t have cement to hold it together. But there’s a bunch of rocks there.”
The victim was later transported to the Hilo Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. According to Amon-Wilkins, an autopsy has been performed and the death was ruled a homicide.
According to Amon-Wilkins, police hadn’t recovered a knife as of mid-afternoon Friday.
Police have tentatively identified the victim, but are not releasing his name until positive identification and notification of next of kin, Amon-Wilkins said.
Police say the other alleged intruder left before officers arrived.
Madrigal was arrested at 8:55 p.m. Thursday. He was booked at the Pahoa police station and then taken to Hilo Medical Center for treatment of injuries received during the altercation, police said.
Authorities have 48 hours from the time of arrest to charge Madrigal with a crime or must release him from custody, according to law.
A check of court records turned up no criminal convictions for Madrigal in Hawaii.
Just prior to this incident being reported to police, a neighbor reported hearing yelling coming from the area and saw two cars possibly leaving the area.
Anyone who may have information about this case is asked to call the police nonemergency line at 935-3311 or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.