The trial of a Waikoloa man accused of attempted murder continued Friday at District Court in Kona. ADVERTISING The trial of a Waikoloa man accused of attempted murder continued Friday at District Court in Kona. The defendant, Joel White, sat
The trial of a Waikoloa man accused of attempted murder continued Friday at District Court in Kona.
The defendant, Joel White, sat in Judge Ronald Ibarra’s courtroom Friday morning while Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Cynthia Tai and Jeff Burleson called more witnesses to the stand.
White faces second-degree attempted murder and first degree burglary charges following an April 17 incident last year in Waikoloa that resulted in Jeremy Nicholas being hospitalized for a stab wound to his throat.
Video testimony of Nicholas’ landlord, Ann Bussey, played before the court Friday morning. Bussey described seeing part of the fight and recounted White as saying, “he attacked me; he attacked me.”
“Which was confusing to me because in my mind he was attacking Jeremy,” she said in the recording.
White’s legal counsel William Harrison previously told the court that Nicholas had threatened to kill White following an altercation.
Bussey also testified on the alleged weapon, which she said was an item larger than the width of her hand.
Later that day Janin Smolen, a forensic scientist with Forensic Analytical Sciences Inc., testified on the evidence she analyzed for the case. Smolen said the weapon in question was a Leatherman tool blade. She said an analysis showed the blade to have both Nicholas’ and White’s DNA on it, although it had a much more of Nicholas’ DNA.
Detective Levon Stevens of the Hawaii County Police Department took the stand following Smolen’s testimony.
Stevens investigated the crime scene following the April 17, 2014, incident and described Nicholas’ room and apartment on Friday as having blood on the carpet and the walls with a trail of blood that led through the house.
Stevens also told the court that he recovered the alleged weapon in the kitchen sink. A photograph of the knife showed a piece of flesh still on the blade. Stevens also recovered a gun in Nicholas’ apartment. Nicholas testified Thursday stating he was unaware the firearm.
The trial will resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
