A retired Los Angeles police detective pleaded not guilty in Kona Circuit Court on Tuesday to a charge of second-degree murder in the death of his wife in 2006.
Daniel DeJarnette, 59, of Ocean View was arrested Monday after a Kona grand jury indicted him in the death of Yu DeJarnette. Bail was set at $200,000.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Daniel DeJarnette is a former LAPD homicide detective.
DeJarnette found the 56-year-old woman lying on a lava embankment near their home in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, police said.
An autopsy showed that the woman died from extensive head injuries, and the case was reclassified from a home accident to murder.
DeJarnette was arrested Nov. 14, 2006, on suspicion of murder, but after consulting with county prosecutors, he was released two days later pending further investigation, police said.
Hawaii County Prosecutor Charlene Iboshi said that as a procedural matter, the state court transferred the case in the early part of this year to Kona from Hilo.
That’s when another deputy prosecutor reviewed the case and an investigator did follow-up work and got more information.
“We are happy that a jury can hear the case,” Iboshi said.
“In a murder case there’s no statute of limitations, so it’s best to do a good and thorough job and follow up on all investigative leads,” she said, but would not discuss any details of the case. “It’ll all come out during the pretrial process.”
DeJarnette was transferred to the Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
