Murder suspect made 911 call
Murder suspect made 911 call
A 34-year-old Hilo man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend and her mother in their Waiakea Houselots home called 911 “to report that he just shot two people in his residence,” according to court documents filed by police.
The documents state that Sean Ivan Masa Matsumoto was still on his cell phone with police dispatchers when officers arrived at the home at 612 Leilani St. at about 11:21 p.m. Monday night.
Responding officers also found Matsumoto’s 45-year-old girlfriend, Rhonda Lynn Alohalani Ahu, and her mother, 74-year-old Elaine Ahu, “with what appeared to be gunshot wounds to both their heads and faces,” documents state.
Officers also found a loaded black 12-gauge shotgun on the living room sofa, about seven feet away from one of the victims, according to documents.
Police said two children were also at the home and were physically unharmed. They and are now in the care of relatives, police said. One is Matsumoto’s and Rhonda Ahu’s six-year-old son; the other is Rhonda Ahu’s 15-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, a friend of the Ahus said.
Matsumoto, who is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, three counts of use of a firearm in a commission of a separate felony and first-degree reckless endangering, made his initial appearance in Hilo District Court on Thursday afternoon.
Deputy Public Defender Sherilyn Tavares asked the court to set “reasonable bail … in all matters” for Matsumoto, who was being held without bail.
Deputy Prosecutor Darien Nagata requested that Matsumoto’s no-bail status be maintained.
The first-degree murder charge was filed because there was more than one victim in the fatal shootings. If Matsumoto is convicted of first-degree murder, a sentence of life imprisonment without parole is mandatory. A conviction on second-degree murder charges carries a mandatory sentence of life with the possibility of parole.
Judge Harry Freitas denied the defense request for bail and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Tuesday at 2 p.m. for Matsumoto.