An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday against U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Bryant Tejeda-Castillo, charging him with one count of second- degree murder in the July 20 stabbing death of his ex-wife.
The indictment alleges Tejeda-Castillo, 29, “did intentionally or knowingly cause the death” of Dana Alotaibi, 27. The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office determined Alotaibi died of “sharp forced wounds to the neck.”
Tejeda-Castillo is expected to appear at his arraignment at Circuit Court in the coming days. His bail is set at $1 million.
Second-degree murder is punishable by life in prison with the possibility of parole.
In a news release Wednesday, Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said of the indictment, “Domestic violence affects so many in our community and we must act to counter this scourge.”
“We will hold Tejeda-Castillo accountable for his alleged crime and ensure that he is kept locked up for many years to come,” he added.
The case is being handled by the Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Domestic Violence-Felony Unit.
New court documents filed Wednesday at Honolulu District Court detail witness accounts of the stabbing that occurred on the side of the H-3 westbound lanes near the Kamehameha Highway off-ramp just before 6:20 p.m. July 20.
Honolulu police responded to the area after they received a 911 call from a woman screaming for help and that she was dying.
Police in court documents said a witness traveling near the scene saw a man later identified as Tejeda-Castillo slit a woman’s neck with a knife while standing over the victim. The witness said the man then stabbed the woman numerous times in the face, neck and head.
Another witness said she saw a man and woman who appeared to be fighting outside a vehicle. When the witness got closer, police said she saw Tejeda-Castillo stab the woman, identified as Alotaibi, with a knife.
Police noted witnesses then saw Tejeda-Castillo stab himself in the neck and run into nearby bushes.
Responding police officers searched the area and found Tejeda-Castillo in the bushes holding a knife covered in blood. Officers recovered the knife, described as a Gerber pocket knife with two blades, both 2 inches long, court documents said.
Alotaibi was taken to Adventist Health Castle Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.
Tejeda-Castillo, who was hospitalized at The Queen’s Medical Center for his apparent self-inflicted wounds, is assigned to the 3rd Littoral Combat Team at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe. He entered the Marine Corps in February 2016.
