KAILUA-KONA— The family of musician Robert Keawe Lopaka Ryder, 37, who was murdered in 2013, have sued the Hawaii Police Department for allegedly allowing his identity as a confidential informant to leak out.
KAILUA-KONA— The family of musician Robert Keawe Lopaka Ryder, 37, who was murdered in 2013, have sued the Hawaii Police Department for allegedly allowing his identity as a confidential informant to leak out.
Ryder’s mother, Debra A. Ryder, and brothers, Buddy K. Ryder and Wailua Ryder, filed the suit. It alleges that by allowing Ryder to be identified, it led to his killing by Martin Frank Booth.
Booth, of South Kohala, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of the man known professionally as Lopaka.
“Lopaka was murdered because Booth learned that he was acting as an informant against him. This action is premised upon the Kona Police Department’s failure to protect Lopaka’s identity, which led to his murder,” the suit alleges.
Little is publicly known about the case, which is part of the complexity, according to William Harrison, attorney for the Ryder family.
As a confidential informant, the only people who knew anything were police and Ryder, so determining what happened is critical, he said.
“Frankly, as plaintiffs, we’re trying to find out what’s going on,” he said, adding that the family needs to engage in extensive discovery to try and uncover what happened.
The complaint also alleges that the training of police was negligent, which made it possible for Booth to find out what was going on.
Ryder signed an agreement to serve as an informant on Oct. 14, 2013, after he was sentenced to a year in prison after violating his probation on a charge of violating an order of protection. He was last seen alive by his family on Thanksgiving Day just over a month later. His body was then abandoned in vacant land between Queen Kaahumanu Highway and Puako Beach Drive, and police said the murder happened some time between Nov. 30 and Dec. 17.
The county prosecutor’s office and county corporation counsel said the county wasn’t responsible for Ryder’s death.
“Plaintiffs contend Booth killed (Robert) Ryder because Booth believed Ryder was an informant. However, Booth told numerous people that he killed Ryder because Ryder had sexually assaulted a young woman who lived on Booth’s property,” a county court filing states.
Laureen Martin, deputy corporation counsel on the case for the county, denied the county was at fault.
“I do not believe the lawsuit has any merit,” Martin wrote to West Hawaii Today.
“The county denies there was any ‘leak,’” she added.
The family has until June 15 to file updated charges for several of their claims.
Booth is currently in Saguaro Correctional Center in Arizona on a life sentence with a possibility of parole.