An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment against a 51-year-old man Monday, charging him with murder in the Dec. 6 stabbing death of a 77-year-old security guard in Kaneohe.
The grand jury indicted William Michael Bell with second-degree murder in the death of Michael “Mike” Chu of Kailua.
The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office determined Chu died of multiple stab wounds. The manner of death was classified as a homicide.
Bell’s arraignment is scheduled to be held Thursday at Circuit Court. He is being held at the Oahu Community Correctional Center in lieu of $1 million bail.
The deadly stabbing occurred in the parking lot near 24 Hour Fitness at the Windward City Shopping Center on the morning of Dec. 6.
Honolulu police in court documents said a witness in the shopping center parking lot heard an argument at about 5:50 a.m. When he heard someone scream for help, the witness walked toward the commotion and saw a male walk away from a sedan.
He then noticed a significant amount of blood on the ground immediately outside of the driver’s side door of the sedan and Chu in the driver’s seat with multiple stab wounds, police said.
A Securitas security guard who worked with Chu said he heard a verbal confrontation coming from the parking lot. When he reached the area, the guard saw Chu “clutching his chest area” and a male walk away from the driver’s side of Chu’s car, police said.
The guard and witness rendered aid to Chu until Honolulu Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived and took over. Chu was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Chu was scheduled to begin his shift at 6 a.m., according to court documents.
The witness who rendered aid to Chu told police he recognized the suspect as a panhandler who frequents the shopping center.
That afternoon, officers of the District 2 Crime Reduction Unit responded to Kamehameha Highway and Olive Avenue in Wahiawa after a caller reported a possible sighting of the suspect in the stabbing case.
Upon arrival, police saw Bell with multiple knives in his front pants pocket and an expandable baton in a holster on his waist. Officers arrested him on suspicion of carrying a deadly weapon.
Through a police investigation, Bell was identified as a suspect in the Kaneohe stabbing. Police arrested him Wednesday at Honolulu District Court after his court appearance in a separate deadly weapons case.
Chu, a husband and father of two adult children, was a founding member of the Kailua Community Basketball League, devoting numerous hours to improving the lives of youth.
Prior to working with Securitas, Chu worked in administration at St. Francis School, a Catholic school in Manoa. He also worked at other Catholic schools that include Saint Louis School in Kaimuki and St. John Vianney Parish School in Kailua.
