LIHUE — A man accused of shooting his roommate will now head to circuit court. Jeffrey Simpson, 57, appeared in front of Judge Jonathon Chun for arraignment in district court Thursday, on charges of second-degree murder and two counts of
LIHUE — A man accused of shooting his roommate will now head to circuit court.
Jeffrey Simpson, 57, appeared in front of Judge Jonathon Chun for arraignment in district court Thursday, on charges of second-degree murder and two counts of reckless endangering.
On Saturday, police arrived at a home on Kamalu Road in Kapaa after residents reported hearing gunshots. When police arrived, they found a man lying on his bedroom floor, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
The victim lives in the house with several adult roommates, including Simpson, according to police.
“The two got into a fight about something, and it escalated,” said Justin Kollar, prosecuting attorney.
The details of what the men were fighting about and the events leading up to the shooting are unclear and remain under investigation, Kollar added.
The 52-year-old victim was medevacked to Queen’s Hospital on Oahu in serious but stable condition. He was still recovering Thursday, Kollar said.
On Sunday afternoon, Simpson was booked into the Lihue police station after turning himself in.
During the proceedings, De Costa asked that Simpson’s bail, which was set at $530,000 be amended to reflect a $53,000 bail. The bond must be paid in cash, pursuant to conditions like no contact with witnesses and not returning to the Kamalu Road house, unless accompanied by a police escort.
He cannot post a bond.
Kollar said he did not object to the reduced bond, which brought the cost down to 10 percent of the original amount.
“Mr. Simpson has the resources to post the full amount of the bond, and will be essentially posting the same amount in cash,” he said.
The cash bail is the equivalent of the $530,000 bond because to get a bond, Simpson would have to put up $53,000 to the bond company, Kollar said.
“So although it’s a reduction in the amount of bail it really isn’t a reduction because instead of putting up 10 percent of the big number he has to put up 100 percent of the small number,” he said. “It also has the added benefit of ensuring that there will be at least $53,000 available immediately if he is is convicted and ordered to pay restitution, rather than the $50 or $100 per month that typically is ordered.”
De Costa also waived Simpson’s right to a preliminary hearing, which allows the Prosecutor’s Office to pursue criminal charges without an indictment by a grand jury.
Simpson will appear in circuit court for a hearing on Oct. 26.
A previous version of this article used the wrong name for Judge Jonathon Chun.
