LIHUE — Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. That was the sound Jeremy Alderson’s teeth made as they came out of his mouth one by one when he was attacked two years ago at Anini Beach by a man he said was
LIHUE — Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.
That was the sound Jeremy Alderson’s teeth made as they came out of his mouth one by one when he was attacked two years ago at Anini Beach by a man he said was Kyle Welch.
His mouth was face down and open against a rock while Welch was pushing against the back of his head, Alderson testified Wednesday in Fifth Circuit Court.
Welch, 28, is charged with attempted murder in the second degree for a fight with a man and terroristic threatening for allegedly telling another he was going to kill him while waving a machete at him, according to testimony.
Alderson testified he suffered multiple wounds to his arms and lungs as a result of Welch’s attack, which he described as taking about an hour and a half and “felt like a hundred blows.”
Five graphic images, which displayed injuries to Alderson, were shown to the jury.
Alderson testified that Welch was approaching him rapidly with a machete in his hand and demanding his wallet while saying, “I’m going to kill you.”
At first, Alderson, who had known Welch as an acquaintance for two years around the Anini Beach campsite, said he thought Welch was kidding.
Alderson raised his arms to shield his face and that’s when he felt the sharp side of the machete come in contact with his right hand, shoulders and chest.
At one point, Alderson said he tried to get the machete out of Welch’s hands.
He testified that Welch began elbow striking his neck and head.
“My head was placed on the rock,” Alderson said. “I was face down on the rock or the fireplace. He was hitting the back of my head and I could feel the teeth pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.”
Alderson said he got free and tried to run, but tripped and fell. That’s when Welch got on top of him and used his knees to hurt him further, he said.
He heard his first rib snap, he said, and the rest followed.
“I felt a pause and I was asking him for mercy,” Alderson testified. “’Please I don’t have your wallet. Please leave me alone. Please just stop.’ He just continued with his knees.”
Alderson said during the attack he was in and out of consciousness but trying to stay awake.
Alderson said he remembers being dragged around by Welch because he couldn’t use his upper body due to his broken right little finger and fractured arm two inches below his wrist.
Alderson said he remembers Welch grabbing a shovel and shouting, “Why won’t you go down?”
“To my glory and surprise, I saw Jesse standing there,” Alderson testified. “I asked him to have him stop. I asked him to stop him. He was enraged.”
Alderson said Jesse Reynolds looked like he was in shock and in horror. Reynolds ran for help after Welch threatened him with the machete.
Alderson was transported to Wilcox Memorial Hospital Emergency Room, where he was treated by Dr. Robert Conrad.
Conrad testified that Alderson arrived with massive trauma to the point of cardiac arrest, a very weak heart, blood and air in both of his lungs, back and rib fractures, all caused by blunt trauma as a result of a direct blow to the body.
Alderson technically died on the way to the hospital for 15 minutes, according to Conrad’s testimony.
He was medevacked to Queens Medical Center on Oahu where he spent nine weeks in intensive care and six weeks learning to walk again.
The defense will begin with their witnesses today.
