A 26-year-old Puna man who reportedly told police he fatally shot his sister’s boyfriend at her behest with a single shotgun blast “center mass” late last month will receive a mental examination.
On Wednesday, Hilo Circuit Judge Peter Kubota ordered an examination by three mental health professionals of Dwayne Cory “CJ” Wallace, who’s facing charges of second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony, carrying a loaded firearm on a public roadway, three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and/or ammunition, and possession of methamphetamine.
The alleged shooting of 26-year-old Peter Cyrus Grammer took place in public and broad daylight, the early afternoon of Aug. 25, in the middle of North Kulani Road, a short distance from Highway 11 in Mountain View.
The examination is by the request of Wallace’s court-appointed defense counsel, Francis Alcain, without objection by Deputy Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen. Kubota ordered Wallace to return to court at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 13.
Alcain requested a reduction in Wallace’s $1.16 million bail, describing it as excessive.
“His financial situation, essentially, is zero. He has very little means of support,” Alcain said, asking Kubota to reduce it to $500,000.
Waltjen asked the judge to maintain Wallace’s bail amount, saying he “is a flight risk” and “poses a substantial threat to the safety of our community.”
“The state alleges he killed the unarmed victim when he shot him at close range with a .20 gauge shotgun before fleeing the scene and leading law enforcement on a three-day manhunt. At the time of the offense, the defendant was already on felony probation for abuse of a family or household member, and prohibited from possessing firearms,” Waltjen said. “Since then, his probation officer has filed a motion to revoke probation, based on additional unrelated alleged violations of the terms and conditions of his probation. He has a history of nonappearance in court and failing to comply with court orders, as evidenced by his nine prior convictions for … criminal contempt and three prior convictions for failure to appear.”
According to court documents filed by police, the firearm used in the shooting was a .20 gauge pump-action shotgun, and Wallace told police his sister, 30-year-old Krystal Kahalioumi, was present at the shooting, which took place after she had argued with Grammer.
Police were seeking Kahalioumi as a witness, and have since arrested her and charged her with a probation violation. It’s unknown whether she is cooperating in the murder investigation.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
