A 30-year-old Mountain View woman who had been the subject of a police manhunt as a witness to a shotgun slaying was taken into custody Wednesday morning in Hilo by Special Enforcement Unit officers, but not without incident.
According to police, officers following up on a lead tracked Krystal Keala Mekealoha Pumehana Kahalioumi to the carport of a home on Kaiao Street in Waiakea Uka, where she was reportedly sitting in the driver’s seat of a stolen white 2020 Kia Optima owned by Hertz Rent a Car, according to court documents.
Kahalioumi had been sought for questioning relative to the fatal shooting Aug. 25 of her boyfriend, Peter C. Grammer, on North Kulani Road in Mountain View. Kahalioumi’s brother, Dwayne “CJ” Cory Wallace Jr., is charged with second-degree murder and numerous other charges in connection with the homicide.
Police said in court documents that Wallace admitted to shooting the unarmed, 26-year-old Grammer “center mass” with a .20 gauge shotgun. He also reportedly told officers the shooting was done at Kahalioumi’s behest and that Kahalioumi was present.
According to documents, when officers approached Kahalioumi attempted to flee in the vehicle — which had been rented by a friend of Kahalioumi’s and allegedly taken without his permission — she struck a 2014 Toyota 4-Runner belonging to Officer Steven Grace, placing Grace, Officer Elik Vodovoz and Detective Keith Simeona in danger.
The collision disabled the Kia and Kahalioumi was taken into custody without further incident, according to police.
A search of Kahalioumi and the Kia turned up 2.24 grams of methamphetamine, police said.
Kahalioumi was charged with first-degree theft during a civil defense emergency, auto theft, attempted assault of a police officer, two counts of first-degree property damage during a civil defense emergency, two counts methamphetamine possession, plus a single count of possessing drug paraphernalia.
The most serious charges, first-degree theft and first-degree property damage are Class B felonies punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, upon conviction.
At Kahalioumi’s initial court appearance Friday, Jared “Kamaka” Auna, Kahalioumi’s court-appointed defense counsel, requested a bail study for his client, which Hilo District Judge Kanani Laubach granted without objection from Deputy Prosecutor Herbert Mukai.
Laubach maintained Kahalioumi’s bail at $82,000 and ordered her to return to court for a preliminary hearing at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
