Thursday, March 25, 2010

Kailua, HI: Man stabs ex-girlfriend before killing himself

By Gary T. Kubota

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Mar 24, 2010

A man previously convicted on a methamphetamine drug charge stabbed his ex-girlfriend several times and then killed himself yesterday at the Pali Lanes bowling alley in Kailua.

The attacker, Harlan B. Kamekona, 49, was taken in critical condition to Castle Memorial Medical Center, where he died, police and acquaintances said.

His ex-girlfriend, 38, of Kaneohe suffered what appeared to be multiple stab wounds and was in critical condition to the Queen's Medical Center, Honolulu police Lt. Bill Kato said.

Fellow bowler Yvonne Fernandez said the victim, Theresita L. Paulo, worked at Bad Boys Trucking, run by Kamekona, who did not want to break off the relationship.

"He was very possessive of her," Fernandez said.

Kamekona had a conviction in 1998 for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to nine years in federal prison.

Fernandez said Paulo has three children.

Pali Lanes bowling mechanic S. Mirafuentes said he was in a back room area yesterday morning when he heard loud screaming and what seemed to be a robbery and gunshot.

When he went into the bowling area to see what the commotion was about, he saw several women trying to keep a man away from a wounded woman who was seated in a chair.

"I could see wounds on her chest and her blood," Mirafuentes said.

The man began stabbing himself and continued to stab himself as he lay on the ground, Mirafuentes said.

Kato said the stabbing apparently stemmed from a domestic dispute involving a girlfriend and boyfriend.

He said a handgun and knife were recovered from the bowling alley.

Kato said shortly before 9:02 a.m., police responded to a call of shots fired at Pali Lanes and found the woman and man with multiple stab wounds.

Mirafuentes said some 12 to 20 women were participating in a league yesterday when the man apparently attacked the woman.

Daniel Sylva, another mechanic, said according to some employees, the man's handgun misfired on the first shot, then fired on the second and apparently misfired on the third shot.

Sylva said the man then took out a knife and began attacking the woman.


Suspect was ex-convict facing more prison time


Law enforcement were looking into whether Bruce Kamekona was evading taxes and used identity theft to defraud his business partners.

[ Watch ]



"There was blood all over the place," Sylva said.

Co-owner Gary Darling said he was in his office when he heard loud voices and a gunshot and went outside to the bowling area.

Darling said the women were helping the victim and throwing things at the man to keep him away.

"Some were chasing after him," Darling said.

Darling said the bowling women and his employees deserve a lot of credit.

One of his female employees applied a tourniquet with a shoelace to stop the bleeding in the woman's arm, he said.

He said the other women kept the attacker away.

"Those are the friends you want when you have a bad moment," Darling said.

The alley reopened at 5 p.m. after the police had investigated the scene and workers had cleaned up.

No comments: