A Circuit Court jury Monday was told it would have to decide whether a 46-year-old homeless woman died of a heart attack or from severe wounds she received during a fight two years ago downtown.
The 46-year-old victim, Sandra Wollaston, was taken in critical condition to a hospital just before 5 a.m. July 21, 2014.
She later died.
Kimberly Udo, 42, was indicted July 24, 2014, on charges of second-degree murder. She is free after posting $500,000 bond.
Defense attorney Myles Breiner and Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bell, in their opening statements, agreed that a fight occurred between the two women at 1150 Bishop St. in front of Ninja Sushi, where the victim was sleeping with three other homeless people.
However, Breiner told the jury that the victim suffered a heart attack several hours before the fight occurred at 4:30 a.m. and another when she fell.
Breiner said a doctor will testify that “when Wollaston fell down and hit her head and didn’t get up, at that juncture she had a full-blown heart attack.”
Bell said the medical examiner will testify that Wollaston died of blunt force injuries to the head and neck and that the manner of her death was a homicide.
Bell said an autopsy showed that she had bruises to her scalp, right brow and cheek, and elsewhere on her head. There also was a skull fracture and bleeding in the brain.
But Breiner maintained the autopsy wasn’t complete and that examination of heart tissue showed that she had suffered a heart attack hours before the fight.
Wollaston’s lifestyle of drug and alcohol abuse and living on the streets led to her death, Breiner said.
A police affidavit said Wollaston and three other homeless people had begun drinking vodka the night before and fell asleep on the sidewalk fronting the restaurant.
Udo was walking her dog on Bishop Street when she got into an argument with Wollaston.
As the argument escalated, Udo kicked Wollaston in the head, causing her to fall, the affidavit said.
As she lay on the sidewalk, Udo allegedly continued to kick her and punch her multiple times until a homeless man, Charles Kingston, pulled her away.
After the fight, Udo fled the scene and was caught at Hotel and Fort streets.
Bell said Udo told an arresting officer, “She (Wollaston) hit me first, so I went pound her.”
Kingston, who came to Hawaii 12 years ago from Wisconsin, is expected to testify later this week.