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Oahu grand jury indicts suspect in fatal downtown attack

COURTESY OF THE HONOLULU DEPARTMENT OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
                                Razi White

COURTESY OF THE HONOLULU DEPARTMENT OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY

Razi White

An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment against a 31-year-old man Wednesday, charging him with second-degree murder in connection with the death of 58-year-old Michael Stubbs in downtown Honolulu.

Razi White remains in custody at the Oahu Community Correctional Center pending trial. His bail is set at $500,000.

Stubbs was working as a security guard at Pioneer Plaza when White allegedly struck him in the head with a metal water bottle on May 3.

Stubbs was taken to a hospital where he died May 12.

The case is one of more than 160 criminal prosecutions impacted by the Hawaii Supreme Court’s September decision in State v. Obrero. The high court ruled that it is unlawful to charge an individual with a serious crime by way of a preliminary hearing.

White was previously charged on May 26 with second-degree murder via a preliminary hearing.

Defense attorneys support the high court’s decision.

In a statement today, Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said, “The Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office is working overtime to deal with the serious consequences of the Obrero decision.”

“This is now the second time that HPD officers and detectives, the medical examiners, the trauma surgeon who treated the victim, and witnesses to White’s alleged crime have had to testify just so White can be charged and go to trial, where they will need to testify for a third time,” Alm said of the indictment against White.

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