Suspected murderers in court

KEALAKEKUA — A preliminary hearing for two brothers accused of a murder from 2015 revealed new details about the case.

Eber Miranda-Garcia, 27, and Marlon Miranda-Garcia, 24, appeared in district court Monday. Testimony described the events that led up to how and when the body of Dolores Borja Valle, 71, was found on Aug. 9, 2015.

Janean Buckley was brought in as a witness. She has lived in Captain Cook on Keopuka Mauka Road for 30 years and was the first person to discover Valle’s body.

Deputy prosecutor Sheri Lawson asked Buckley to describe her morning routine two years ago.

Buckley testified she would get up at daybreak and walk her two dogs down her driveway around 7 a.m. She described her driveway as long and her property surrounded by coffee fields and some macadamia nut trees.

Buckley said as she was walking back up the driveway that morning, when one of her dogs bee-lined it toward the coffee field. When she pursued her pet she found a body, later identified as Valle, down a 3- to 5-foot embankment on a neighboring property.

“It is something I’d never expect to see in my backyard,” she said.

Buckley described the body as face up, partially naked and his head covered by a black plastic bag. She testified observing a purple rope and what appeared to be two white baby-sized blankets.

“I grabbed the dogs and ran home,” Buckley said. “My eyes and brain wouldn’t wrap around what I was seeing.”

Buckley testified telling her husband, who didn’t initially believe her until he saw the body himself. They called police and informed the tenants and landowners about the body found on the property.

Buckley stated the last time she walked past the area was the night before at about 5:15 p.m. At that time there wasn’t a body.

David Matsushima, detective with Hawaii Police Department, also took the stand. He testified he met at the police station before 8 a.m. on Aug. 9 where he and other detectives were informed about the body found on Keopuka Mauka Road.

When he arrived at the incident, Matsushima stated, the scene had been secured and pop-up tents had been erected to preserve the area because it started to rain.

Matsushima also stated the top half of the body was covered by a plastic bag. He added the victim’s pants were pulled down to the knees and he wasn’t wearing shoes.

“It looked like the body was placed there,” the detective stated. “It was flat on its back.”

Matsushima also testified about a .22 rifle found in plain sight in the coffee field.

No ID was found in the area. When police ran a check to see who the rifle belonged to, they discovered it belonged to Valle. A picture was attached to the file. Authorities at that point visually confirmed Valle’s identity.

Matsushima also testified fingerprints and fingernail clippings from the victim were collected.

Authorities determined Valle was employed by coffee company Mountain Thunder. Matsushima testified that on Aug. 10 detectives reached out to his employer, Trent Bateman. They learned Valle was in charge of a coffee operation in Holualoa and managed coffee pickers in the same area.

Matsushima testified that the person who managed the coffee farm where Valle’s body was found wasn’t aware the victim had ever been to that field in the past.

Matsushima stated he was present during Valle’s autopsy.

“I saw 14 wounds to the head,” he said. “A wound behind the ear seemed to penetrate the skull.”

Before court adjourned, the state requested Oneida Miranda-Garcia and Jessilyn Hoohuli, Eber Miranda-Garcia’s wife, be subpoenaed for the next hearing.

West Hawaii Today did reach out to the Miranda-Garcia family to see if they wished to comment on the court proceedings.

“No comments are necessary,” Hoohuli said.

The preliminary hearing has been continued to Aug. 30. Bail is maintained for both men at $500,000.

The brothers were arrested last week at a work site in the Kawaihae area. Hoohuli was also arrested but was released pending investigation.

The arrests were a result of an extensive investigation, which included the recent receiving of DNA results.

A third brother, Himer Miranda-Garcia, 35, turned himself in. He was released but is in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.