LIHU‘E — The suspect in the stabbing death of a Kapa‘a woman made his initial appearance in Kaua‘i District Court on Tuesday. Steven Michael Wilson, 26, of Kapa‘a, entered a plea of not guilty to the felony charge of second-degree
LIHU‘E — The suspect in the stabbing death of a Kapa‘a woman made his initial appearance in Kaua‘i District Court on Tuesday.
Steven Michael Wilson, 26, of Kapa‘a, entered a plea of not guilty to the felony charge of second-degree murder. He is accused in the death of Kendra “Kenny” Elizabeth Lewis, 21, who was found stabbed to death in her residence Friday at Kawaihau Sports Villa condominium in Kapa‘a.
State Deputy Public Defender Dena Renti Cruz declared a conflict of interest in the case. She said that a potential witness was also represented by the public defender in another matter, and is serving a five-year felony probation.
Renti Cruz represented Wilson for the arraignment. She requested a preliminary hearing to determine if probable cause exists to prosecute the case, and for a bail study on behalf of the defendant.
Per Diem Judge Joseph Kobayashi granted the Public Defender’s office request to withdraw from the case. A court-appointed private attorney would be provided by the next hearing but the judge did not make the appointment Tuesday in open court.
Kobayashi set the preliminary hearing for Thursday at 1 p.m. He ordered the bail study and kept the current bail set at $1 million.
Prior to Wilson entering the courtroom, Renti Cruz objected to the request for media cameras in the courtroom. She said the vast amount of pre-trial publicity has served to deny the defendant a fair trial.
County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Melinda Mendes said the state did not object to defense counsel’s request.
Kobayashi said he understood the concerns of the request but ruled that cameras would be permitted. There were two video cameras, a still photographer and a reporter in the courtroom for the hearing at the time.
According to the Kaua‘i Police Department, Wilson and the victim moved to Kaua‘i from Anchorage, Alaska earlier in the year. The two reportedly lived together with another member of the Lewis family.
The association made Wilson a person of interest in the case and police brought him in for questioning on Saturday. He was later arrested and charged with the murder. Lewis worked as a cook at Olympic Café in Kapa‘a.
Kawaihau Sports Villa management spokeswoman Candice Iida, said condolences were sent to the victim’s family and friends.
She declined further comment.
