LIHU’E — Two Kaua’i men pleaded not guilty to attempted-murder charges in Lihu’e courts Tuesday, in unrelated cases. At 8:30 a.m., Joseph Ornellas, 47, of Lihu’e, was arraigned in Circuit Court, and pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree
LIHU’E — Two Kaua’i men pleaded not guilty to attempted-murder charges in Lihu’e courts Tuesday, in unrelated cases.
At 8:30 a.m., Joseph Ornellas, 47, of Lihu’e, was arraigned in Circuit Court, and pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree attempted murder, three counts of second-degree attempted murder, and one count of first-degree terroristic threatening.
The case is set to go to trial Tuesday, Feb. 24.
In the courtroom, a subdued Ornellas, clad in an orange jumpsuit and shackles, said little as he pleaded not guilty before Circuit Court Judge George Masuoka.
He was ushered out of court quickly, and waited for his Deputy Public Defender, James Itamura. He remains in Kaua’i Community Correctional Center in lieu of $103,000 bail.
According to county First Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Craig DeCosta, Ornellas’ charges stem from a car-related incident outside the Tradewinds Bar in the Coconut Marketplace around 2:30 a.m. Dec. 25.
DeCosta charges that after an argument with the three victims, where one kicked Ornellas’ vehicle, Ornellas tried to run them over with his vehicle.
Two of the victims were hit by the car, and had to be treated at Wilcox Memorial Hospital and released, he said.
In the other case, Paulus Gamachuu, 29, of Kilauea, charged with second-degree attempted murder, was in court for his preliminary hearing to establish whether there was enough probable cause to have him stand trial.
District Court Judge Trudy Senda ruled that there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial, and he will be arraigned in Circuit Court on Thursday, Jan. 22.
Gamachuu was charged in relation to an incident on Jan. 6 on Kaikala Street in Kilauea, where Kilauea resident Ernest Palacio Jr. was stabbed twice in the neck and chest.
Palacio was in court, and testified that during an altercation with Gamachuu, Gamachuu pulled a knife and slashed him.
Gamachuu, who is originally from Micronesia, did not testify at the trial, but his lawyer, Itamura, cross-examined prosecution witnesses Palacio, Kilauea resident David Defan, and Kaua’i Police Department Det. Samuel Sheldon, to present evidence that Gamachuu was acting in self-defense.
The witnesses described a fight where the two men traded blows, with Palacio hitting Gamachuu numerous times before Gamachuu pulled a knife from his car.
Prosecutor DeCosta argued that the fight had broken up before Gamachuu slashed Palacio, while Itamura contended that Gamachuu was trying to get away from the situation and Palacio was the aggressor.
According to Sheldon’s testimony, Gamachuu said he threw the knife away after the incident near the old dispensary area on Kilauea Road. The knife has not yet been found, he said.
Palacio needed surgery to close the wounds, which, according to a sworn statement by Dr. Robert Weiner read before the court, were very close to severing arteries and veins. If the wounds hit an artery or a vein, the resultant blood loss might have caused Palacio’s death, Weiner’s statement said.
Staff Writer Tom Finnegan may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mailto:tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.
