Prosecutors have charged a 51-year-old man in connection with Tuesday’s stabbing death of a 77-year-old security guard in Kaneohe.
William Michael Bell was charged Thursday with second-degree murder in the death of Mike Chu of Kailua. Bell’s bail is set at $500,000.
Second-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole if convicted.
Chu, who worked for Securitas Security Services, had just arrived at Windward City Shopping Center in his personal vehicle near 24 Hour Fitness when a man approached him early Tuesday.
Honolulu police said an argument occurred between Chu and the other man. The man then stabbed the guard multiple times and fled the scene, police said.
Chu suffered multiple stab wounds to his neck, chest, arms and abdomen. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Court documents filed at Honolulu District Court in a separate deadly-weapon case show patrol officers arrested Bell in Wahiawa on Tuesday afternoon after a caller reported a possible sighting of the suspect in the Kaneohe case.
A police report said officers were dispatched to the area of Olive Avenue and Kamehameha Highway shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday. When police approached Bell, officers saw multiple knives in his front pants pockets and a baton attached to his belt, the report said.
Police arrested Bell on suspicion of carrying a deadly weapon and recovered the knives and baton from him.
On Wednesday, Bell appeared at District Court via videoconference from the courthouse cellblock after prosecutors charged him with carrying a deadly weapon.
Following his appearance, police arrested him at court on suspicion of second-degree murder in connection with the Kaneohe stabbing case, a police spokeswoman said.
Bell has a criminal history that includes three felony convictions for assault, promoting a dangerous drug and drug paraphernalia. His record also includes two misdemeanors for assault and abuse of a family or household member, and two petty misdemeanors for theft and criminal trespassing.
Chu, a husband and a father of two adult children, was about to be a grandfather for the first time in the coming weeks.
He was a founding member of the Kailua Community Basketball League, devoting countless hours to improving the lives of youth.
Prior to working for Securitas, Chu worked in administration at Saint Francis School in Manoa. He also previously worked at Saint Louis School in Kaimuki and St. John Vianney Parish School in Kailua.
