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Prosecuting attorney’s office takes no further action in H-1 Freeway murder case

Honolulu’s Department of the Prosecuting Attorney won’t take further action in a second-degree murder case in March that involved an altercation on the H-1 Freeway and led to the death of a 50-year-old man.

The Honolulu Police Department reported in a news bulletin that on Sept. 8 the prosecuting attorney’s office announced it had reviewed the case and would not take further action.

At around 3 a.m. on March 7 two men were arguing while driving on the freeway, which led to them stopping at some point and fighting each other.

The Honolulu Emergency Medical Services found a man, later identified as Gerald “Jerry” Waialae, in the driver’s seat of his black Dodge Caravan between the Kapolei and Kunia off-ramps with “traumatic injuries.” He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

The suspect, a 38-year-old man, fled the scene in his vehicle. HPD reported that the suspect was identified by the prosecutor’s office, and it was later determined that he had fled the state shortly after the incident and had not returned.

Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm said in a statement, “After carefully reviewing all of the evidence in this case, including witness statements, we determined that Gerald Waialae, the deceased, was the initial and unprovoked aggressor in the road rage incident. We further determined that we did not have enough evidence to disprove beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect acted in self-defense.”


This story has been updated to include Steven Alm’s statement on the decision not to pursue charges.


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