A man found guilty of manslaughter on Kauapea Beach in 1984 was arrested Monday for threatening two children with a machete and a gun — at the same location. Michael John Ebinger, 56, of Kilauea, is being held on $10,000
A man found guilty of manslaughter on Kauapea Beach in 1984 was arrested Monday for threatening two children with a machete and a gun — at the same location.
Michael John Ebinger, 56, of Kilauea, is being held on $10,000 bond for two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening for allegedly harassing two boys, ages 12 and 13, with the weapons. A honeymooning Maui couple witnessed Ebinger threatening the boys and called police, Kaua‘i Police Lt. Roy Asher said.
Ebinger was found guilty of manslaughter in February 1984, after he killed a man in Kauapea, dubbed Secret Beach, in April 1983. Ebinger, who was living at Secret Beach at the time, shot a 22-year-old man from Vermont point blank. When the man, Stuart Munson, didn’t die, Ebinger hacked up his body with a machete. Ebinger said during his trial that he cut the body up to be humane, noting he would do the same thing for an animal. Police were in a six-hour standoff with Ebinger while Munson’s body was on the beach, several feet away from his killer. About 40 shots were fired and two canisters of tear gas were tossed toward Ebinger before he surrendered.
Ebinger was sentenced to 10 years in jail and paid $3,197 in restitution for manslaughter, but was released within five years.
Part of the condition of his parole was that he never return to Secret Beach.
Since he was released from jail, Ebinger has violated his parole four times, according to police records.
Police don’t expect Ebinger to post bail in this case because of financial restrictions, Records Supervisor Estelle Furuike said. Police also have enough probable cause to hold him beyond the maximum 48 hours, Asher said.
