Category: O’ahu

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Nuclear Sub leaked radioactive water for months

August 1, 2008

CNN: Nuclear sub leaked radioactive water in Pacific for months

From Jamie McIntyre and Mike Mount
CNN Pentagon Unit

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Water with trace amounts of radioactivity may have leaked for months from a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine as it traveled around the Pacific to ports in Guam, Japan and Hawaii,Navy officials told CNN on Friday.

The USS Houston arrives in Pearl Harbor for routine maintenance, during which the leak was found.

The USS Houston arrives in Pearl Harbor for routine maintenance, during which the leak was found.

The leak was found on the USS Houston, a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine, after it went to Hawaii for routine maintenance last month, Navy officials said.

Navy officials said the amount of radiation leaked into the water was virtually undetectable. But the Navy alerted the Japanese government because the submarine had been docked in Japan.

The problem was discovered last month when a build-up of leaking water popped a covered valve and poured onto a sailor’s leg while the submarine was in dry dock.

An investigation found a valve was slowly dripping water from the sub’s nuclear power plant. The water had not been in direct contact with the nuclear reactor, Navy officials said.

Officials with knowledge of the incident could not quantify the amount of radiation leaked but insisted it was “negligible” and an “extremely low level.” The total amount leaked while the sub was in port in Guam, Japan and Hawaii was less than a half of a microcurie (0.0000005 curies), or less than what is found in a 50-pound bag of lawn and garden fertilizer, the officials said.

The sailor who was doused, a Houston crew member, tested negative for radiation from the water, according to Navy officials.

Since March, the Houston had crisscrossed the western Pacific, spending a week in Japan and several weeks in both Guam and Hawaii, Navy officials said.

The Navy on Friday notified the Japanese government of the leak, the officials said, and told them it was possible the ship had been leaking while in port in Sasebo, Japan, in March.

While Japan has agreed to allow U.S. nuclear-powered ships in Japanese ports, the decision was a not popular in Japan.

The Houston incident comes at a time when the Navy is trying to smooth over a problem with a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

The USS George Washington was due to replace the aging, conventionally powered USS Kitty Hawk this summer as the United States’ sole carrier based in Japan.

While en route to Japan this May, a massive fire broke out on the George Washington, causing $70 million in damage. The fire was blamed on crew members smoking near improperly stored flammable materials.

There was no damage or threat to the nuclear reactor, but the ship was diverted to San Diego, California, for repairs. It now is expected to arrive in Japan at the end of September.

The Navy this week fired the captain and his deputy, saying an investigation into the fire led to a lack of confidence in the leadership of both men.

Just two weeks ago, thousands of Japanese protested the pending arrival of the George Washington.

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Marine sentenced to five years for identity theft

Judge imprisons identity thief for victimizing fellow Marines

By Gene Park
gpark@starbulletin.com

Cpl. Daniel Alfieri deserved the five-year prison term he received yesterday for stealing the identities of fellow Kaneohe Marines while they were deployed to Iraq, one of his victims said.

“We will never forget what he did. He waited in ambush like a spider,” said Staff Sgt. Shawn Garrett, who added that the sentence was justified because of what appeared to be a calculated scheme by Alfieri pulled right after the Marines were deployed.

Alfieri had pleaded no contest to 14 counts of identity theft and eight other related charges for stealing the identities of five Kaneohe Marines.

Alfieri asked for a five-year probation, citing post-traumatic stress disorder and symptoms of bipolar disorder. He also cited his years of service in the Marines and his clean record.

Circuit Judge Randal Lee sentenced Alfieri to five years in prison, calling his claims of disorders “questionable.”

“In essence what the defendant did was steal from his own family,” said Lee, adding that giving a probation sentence would depreciate the seriousness of the crime.

Alfieri was accused of using personal information of his fellow Marines to apply for credit cards over a pay phone and the Internet. He stole a credit card already issued to one of the Marines and applied for another card using that Marine’s name.

He made various small purchases at grocery and retail stores, restaurants and gas stations.

Alfieri apologized to the victims yesterday and asked the judge for deferral of his no-contest plea, hoping to retain his clean record. He said he wanted to seek medical help for his mental state.

“My mind is truly not in a healthy place,” said the married father of two.

Deputy Prosecutor Chris Van Marter said prosecutors requested five years, and not the more than 50 years Alfieri could have received, because they recognized Alfieri’s years of military service and clean record.

Garrett was deployed in Iraq last year when his wife, Andrea, called him about a new credit card created under his name. Alfieri tried to open five credit cards under Garrett’s name and was able to create one.

A postal worker discovered the falsely created card before Alfieri was able to use it. But the damage was done, Garrett said. He began to worry about his wife’s safety when he should have been focused on the mission, he said.

“My head needs to be forward. I need to think about the Marines. I need to think about the mission,” Garrett said yesterday after the sentencing. “Not what is going to happen here — is my wife OK, or is she going to be able to pay bills … or is he going to come to my house and threaten my wife because she’s the one who turned him in?”

Source: http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/07/19/news/story09.html

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Schofield Soldier’s Family Questions Military PTSD Treatment

KITV.com

Schofield Soldier’s Family Questions Military PTSD Treatment

Tripler Officials Defend Patient Policy

Brent Suyama, Managing Editor TheHawaiiChannel.com

POSTED: 8:39 pm HST July 11, 2008

TRIPLER ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, Hawaii — An Alabama woman says her son, a Schofield Barracks soldier, is slipping through the cracks after a stand-off with Honolulu police last month.

The Army responded on Friday by saying it requires soldiers to undergo Post Traumatic Stress Disorder screenings throughout the deployment cycle. After the mandatory screenings it falls on the soldier and the community to reach out to the Army for help.

Last month, Sgt. Jesse Kerry barricaded himself in his Royal Kunia townhouse. After an 18-hour standoff with Honolulu police, the 23-year-old surrendered.

During the ordeal Kerry’s mother, Stephanie, was home in Alabama.

“Anybody with PTSD is tormented. It is something they can’t get out, they can’t drink it out, they can’t drug it out, and they feel ultimately, many of them, the only way get rid of this pain and this torment is to kill themselves,” Stephanie Kerry said.

Jesse Kerry was admitted to Triple Army Medical Center, where he underwent treatment.

Stephanie Kerry is questioning the Army after she was informed her son would be discharged this week.

“You’re going to release this soldier after a 16-hour standoff brought him to your hospital and you are going to release him 10 days later after studying his personality traits,” Stephanie Kerry said.

The Army can not comment on Sgt. Kerry’s case.

“A rather large treatment team will assess the patient and the patient is an active member of developing their treatment plan,” Col. CJ Diebold said about PTSD patients in general.

The Army defended its procedures for admitting and releasing patients.

“The purpose of inpatient treatment is to stabilize, is to assess and stabilize. The work of therapy and treatment goes on in an outpatient basis,” Diebold said.

Dr. Kenneth Hirsch of Veterans Affairs at Tripler said it is the individual’s choice to maintain outpatient treatment. The major obstacle the military faces in treating patients with PTSD is the stigma surrounding mental illness.

“We have to reduce stigma. We have to make it easy not only for people to access the care, but easy to make the decision that I will get care,” Hirsch said.

Symptoms of PTSD include problems with eating, concentrating and becoming easily irritable.

The Army hopes is to help soldiers understand the disorder so they can get the proper care they deserve.

Source: http://www.kitv.com/print/16860884/detail.html

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Tripler plans to release soldier who held off Hawaii police in standoff

Posted on: Wednesday, July 9, 2008

SOLDIER’S FAMILY

Tripler plans to release soldier who held off Hawaii police in standoff

By Rob Perez
Advertiser Staff Writer

A Schofield Barracks soldier who was hospitalized last week after threatening suicide during an 18-hour standoff with police is scheduled to be released as soon as tomorrow despite concerns from his family that he is not ready.

Stephanie Kerry, the mother of Sgt. Jesse Kerry, said her son still is having trouble dealing with the traumatic effects from deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq and questioned whether the military has provided adequate treatment for him and many other soldiers in similar situations.

“I think Jesse and other soldiers like him are battling things that require more time,” she said. “This is extremely serious, and people need to realize that.”

A spokeswoman for Tripler Army Medical Center, where Kerry was taken for psychiatric evaluation after the June 30 standoff in Waipahu, said federal law prohibited her from commenting on individual cases. But the hospital issued a general statement: “Every patient is assessed individually. Based upon clinical evaluation, a personalized treatment plan is given, which works toward a discharge date.”

In a phone interview from her Valley, Ala., home yesterday, Stephanie Kerry said she was told by her son’s physician Monday that the soldier probably would be released tomorrow.

She said that when she expressed concern that her son wasn’t ready to be released, the doctor told her the military can’t hold someone for an involuntary psychiatric evaluation for more than 72 hours.

Stephanie Kerry said her son told her previously that he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and that the effects are so serious that she believes he needs more treatment. She wasn’t sure whether he would be able to stay at Tripler beyond tomorrow, even if he asked to do so.

Since Jesse Kerry’s 2004-05 tour in Afghanistan and a 2006-07 deployment to Iraq, where he witnessed two friends in his convoy killed by a roadside bomb, the 23-year-old married man and father of a son has been drinking more and battling depression and nightmares, his mother said.

APPARENT SUICIDE TRY

About two weeks before the standoff, which forced the evacuation of nearby homes in a Royal Kunia townhouse complex, police were called to Kerry’s home because of a domestic dispute, several neighbors said as the standoff unfolded. His wife was escorted away, and the woman and son later left for the Mainland, the neighbors said.

When Kerry surrendered to police and the standoff ended, he had cuts on both wrists.

Stephanie Kerry said her son started having psychological problems after his deployment to Afghanistan and had a serious incident in May 2006 that prompted his command to “red flag” his file.

Yet he was deployed to Iraq a few months later, she said.

An Army spokeswoman said she could not comment on Kerry’s case because of privacy laws. But the spokeswoman said that, speaking generally, a soldier’s file can be flagged for many reasons ranging from obesity to misconduct.

Stephanie Kerry said she didn’t know whether her son was formally diagnosed with PTSD, but he told her he had the disorder and was prescribed sleep medication and an anti-depressant. She said her son didn’t seem to be getting the care he needed, and his current treatment didn’t appear to reflect the seriousness of PTSD and what happened last week.

“It seems as though he’s just being fast-tracked” out of the hospital, she said.

When Kerry’s father, Freelon, asked his son in a phone conversation Monday night whether he was doing OK, the soldier replied, “Not really,” Stephanie Kerry said. After a short pause, she said, her son added, “Yeah, I’m OK.”

INVISIBLE WOUNDS

About 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms of PTSD or major depression, according to a study released in April by the RAND Corp., a nonprofit research organization.

Returning soldiers who have trouble dealing with the stresses of war have access to a variety of services, ranging from outpatient programs to intensive in-patient treatment. But critics nationally say the military’s mental health network falls far short of what is needed, partly because of a shortage of personnel. Also, many troops simply don’t seek treatment.

A specialist with the nonprofit Helping Hands Hawai’i said the symptoms Kerry’s mother described were similar to what many other soldiers have described.

“The battle does not end on the battlefield,” said William “Clay” Park, a Helping Hands case manager and Vietnam war veteran. “It comes home with you. A lot of these guys self-medicate themselves with alcohol or drugs.”

Reach Rob Perez at rperez@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Source: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Jul/09/ln/hawaii807090406.html

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Veteran kills family and self in Mililani

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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
A woman identified herself to Honolulu police yesterday as a relative of one of the residents at 95-1042 Moohele St. in Mililani Mauka upon arrival at the scene with another relative, right. According to HPD, a man killed his wife and son before hanging himself there.

Family killed in Mililani

» Police say Michael James murdered his wife and son, then killed himself
» It is the third murder-suicide on Oahu in less than 3 months

STORY SUMMARY »

A Mililani Mauka man killed his wife and their son Tuesday before taking his own life, the third murder-suicide on Oahu this year.

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Police say it appears Farrington High School teacher Grineline James and son Michael Jr. were killed at the hands of Michael A. James, who committed suicide yesterday at the home at 95-1042 Moohele St.

Neighbors and Grineline James’ co-workers expressed shock and confusion over the violent end to a nice, quiet family.

Catherine Payne, principal of Farrington High School, praised her employee as a dedicated teacher, one of the best at the school.

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“It’s very, very tragic. It’s beyond my comprehension that something like that could happen. She was such a good person and a wonderful mother to her son,” Payne said.

Honolulu police expressed frustration at the third domestic murder-suicide in Honolulu in less than three months. More than half of the 11 homicides on Oahu this year involve domestic violence.

“If you’ve got domestic violence going on in your family, do something about it,” said Honolulu Police Department Maj. Frank Fujii. “I’m sure that all the victims that died as the result of domestic violence, none of them thought that it was going to happen to them.”

ROB SHIKINA AND ROSEMARIE BERNARDO

FULL STORY »

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PHOTOS BY DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Police lifted up the crime scene tape yesterday to let in a neighbor who lives next door to a house where a double murder-suicide occured in Mililani Mauka. The house, shown on the left side of the picture, is at the corner of Moohele and Ukuwai streets. Below, police gathered in front of the house.

By Rob Shikina
and Rosemarie Bernardo
rshikina@starbulletin.com
rbernardo@starbulletin.com

Three family members were found dead in a Mililani Mauka home yesterday in a double murder and suicide.

Police made the grisly discovery yesterday about noon after a postal worker found a suspicious note in the mailbox and reported it to a supervisor, who called police.

Video: Family of 3 Found Dead in Mililani Police found a family of three dead in a Mililani home after a woman mail carrier found a note in the family’s mailbox. In partnership with KITV.com

Arriving officers found the front door at 95-1042 Moohele St. unlocked. Inside they found more notes directing them to the dead family on the second floor: a 43-year-old man, a 39-year-old woman and a boy, 7.

Neighbors identified the man as Michael A. James, a retired veteran who worked from home selling insurance. His son was Michael, and his wife was Grineline James, a Farrington High School teacher.

An online listing said James worked for Benchmark Life Insurance & Annuity Consulting Group from that address.

Honolulu Police Department Maj. Frank Fujii said police believe James killed his wife and son Tuesday evening and committed suicide yesterday morning.

Police found the woman and child in a bed covered with a sheet, while James was found hanged in a home office. He left a suicide note saying he killed his wife and son, police said.

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PHOTOS BY DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Police gathered in front of the house.

Fujii declined to describe the injuries but ruled out gunshot wounds.
Yesterday’s discovery disturbed the quiet, new neighborhood as police taped off one end of Moohele Street until shortly after 6:15 p.m. The house where the killings occurred is at the corner of Moohele and Ukuwai streets. On the driveway a basketball hoop stood next to a white Hyundai sedan.

Video: Neighbors Shocked Over Mililani Deaths Many neighbors say that the neighborhood is very quiet and are surprised at what had happened in the James’ family home. In partnership with KITV.com

Mark Pacpaco, 31, who lives directly behind there on Moohele Place, said the family moved there about 18 months ago. He talked with James about landscaping and said James was a retired veteran.

“The guy always had a smiling face,” he said. “He seemed like a real nice guy.”

Donna Carter, who lives across the street, said James introduced his family when she moved in last December.

“They were a nice family,” she said. “Mike was really friendly. He was the first one to come and welcome us.”

“He loved his son,” she said, adding that he enjoyed playing basketball with his son.

The family was quiet and kept to themselves, she said.

“I’m just very upset,” she said. “It’s a shame. You hate to see a family destroyed like that.”

Catherine Payne, principal of Farrington High School, said Grineline James had worked at Farrington since January 2003.

“She was a magnificent teacher, very much loved by her students and her colleagues,” Payne said. “We’re just devastated by her loss.”

Payne described her as a “quiet but strong person,” adding she was “very kind and thoughtful.”

“She was one of the best teachers in the school. Every student in her class learned from her,” she said.

Grineline James told co-workers that she would be away next week to attend the funeral of her husband’s brother.

Police Chief Boisse Correa visited the house briefly yesterday evening and left without speaking to reporters. Relatives arrived in a blue van and spoke briefly with police. One woman raised her hand to her mouth during the conversation.

Fujii said the double murder is the 10th and 11th homicides this year. More than half of them are related to domestic violence.

MURDER-SUICIDES

The other murder-suicide cases on Oahu this year:

» May 26: Police responded at 6:39 p.m. to a dropped 911 call at 99-801 Halawa Heights Road. The officers heard nothing but a disconnected phone, entered the apartment and found 60-year-old Eliseo Dumlao Jr. and 45-year-old Marissa Dumlao shot dead. Police found a 9 mm handgun on the husband’s chest and said he shot his wife before killing himself. Marissa Dumlao left behind an 18-year-old daughter.

» April 25: At 11:51 p.m., neighbors of 91-1635 Kaukolu St. heard gunshots coming from the home. Police found 38-year-old Della Dikito shot dead in the bathroom. Her husband, 39-year-old Domingo Dikito, was found in the garage, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The couple left behind three daughters – ages 8, 13 and 15 – and an 18-year-old son.

OTHER DEATHS
Other homicide cases on Oahu related to domestic violence this year:

» Jan. 9: Jenny Hartsock, 39, was stabbed multiple times allegedly by her 40-year-old husband Roy William Hartsock outside their apartment at 757 Gulick Ave. in Kalihi.

» Jan. 16: Janel Tupuola, 30, was beaten to death, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, 29-year-old Alapeti Siuanu Tunoa Jr. Police said Tunoa used the butt of a shotgun and beat Tupuola in the middle of a street in front of horrified spectators. The couple had a 2-year-old daughter.

Source: http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/07/03/news/story01.html

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Autopsy reveal cause of death in veteran-family murder-suicide

Starbulletin.com

Posted on: Thursday, July 3, 2008 4:47 PM HST

Autopsies reveal cause of death in murder-suicide

Star-Bulletin Staff
citydesk@starbulletin.com

Michael Anthony James strangled his wife and drowned his 7-year-old son before hanging himself in the family’s Mililani Mauka home this week, autopsies revealed today.

The city’s medical examiner said Michael Anthony James, Jr., had drowned. Police sources indicated that the father drowned his son in the bathtub and that Grineline D. James, 39, died by strangulation at the hands of her husband.

Both deaths were classified as homicides, the medical examiner said today.

Michael Anthony James, 43, died by asphyxia due to hanging, a suicide. He was pronounced dead at 1:07 p.m. Wednesday.

Police said before he killed himself he placed the bodies of his wife and son on a bed and covered them with a sheet.

The medical examiner’s office withheld information about when each person died, citing an ongoing investigation. Police had said the mother and child died Tuesday night and James died Wednesday morning.

A toxicology report is pending.

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Soldier peacefully ends standoff with police

HonoluluAdvertiser.com

July 1, 2008

Man gives up peacefully in Waipahu

By Dave Dondoneau
and David Waite

ROYAL KUNIA – A standoff involving a Schofield Barracks soldier ended peacefully at about 10:40 a.m. today when the man walked out of his Royal Kunia townhouse with his hands up and surrendered to police.

Neighbors said they were told the soldier had returned earlier this year from Iraq and was diagnosed recently with post traumatic stress disorder.

Police began evacuating residents of one area of the Villas at Royal Kunia at about 4 p.m. yesterday after becoming concerned that the soldier might be a threat to himself or others.

The soldier, who lives in unit 20 of the townhouse complex at 94-976 Hanauna St., was described by neighbors as tall and thin. They said they often saw him in front of his unit cooking food on an outdoor grill with friends.

Neighbors said the man’s wife left with the couple’s two children yesterday to return to the Mainland. They said police were called to the home about two weeks ago and escorted the wife from the home following a domestic argument.

Neighbors Jade and Emery Black were evacuated yesterday at about 6 p.m. They said they had heard “the guy had two guns.”

Jade Black watched the police operation from across the street until midnight and then went to stay with friends.

The Blacks returned this morning to find the situation had not been resolved.

Andy Reckers and wife, Hannah, went to walk their dog – adopted from the Hawaiian Humane Society six days ago – and saw police surrounding the townhouse complex when they returned.

They also stayed overnight with friends hoping to return to their home this morning.

Levi Reulecke and his wife, Ericka, who live diagonally across in the same cluster from the unit in question, said police came to their home about 8:15 last night and told them to leave.

They said they were surprised by all of the commotion and that their neighbor in question “seemed like a normal guy – until yesterday.”

About 10:15 a.m. this morning, police were allowing some of the residents who were evacuated earlier to return to get some of their belongings and to retrieve their cars.

The west-bound lanes of Anonui Street, which connects with Hanauna Street, were open but the east-bound lanes of Anonui remained closed to traffic.

Police had set up shade tents and brought in an air-conditioned trailer to allow SWAT team members to take a break from the heat.

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Halawa Heights killer faced sex-assault rap

Looks like Eliseo Dumlao, a retired military man, was in the midst of a sex assault case when he killed his wife and himself.

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starbulletin.com

May 29, 2008

Halawa Heights killer faced sex-assault rap

By Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com

The 60-year-old Halawa Heights man who fatally shot his 45-year-old wife and then killed himself Monday had been arrested 2 1/2 weeks earlier for allegedly sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman.

Police arrested Eliseo Bueno Dumlao Jr. on May 8 on suspicion of fourth-degree sexual assault, a misdemeanor, in a case involving an 18-year-old woman, according to the city Prosecutor’s Office. The case was pending investigation for felony charges.

The sexual assault was reported Jan. 6, the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Dumlao’s wife, Marissa, and her 18-year-old daughter had previously moved out of the Halawa Heights apartment, and Marissa Dumlao had returned Monday evening to retrieve some clothes, a police official said.

Police responded to a dropped 911 call at 6:39 p.m. Monday at 99-801 Halawa Heights Road, Apartment 4. Upon their arrival at the Dumlaos’ second-floor walk-up, officers could hear the sound of a disconnected phone, police said.

When no one responded, police entered through a back window and found Eliseo and Marissa Dumlao in their bed, each with a gunshot wound to the head, police said.

A 9 mm semiautomatic handgun was found on Eliseo Dumlao’s chest, police said. Autopsies revealed she had been murdered and that he had committed suicide.

Police canvassed the neighborhood that night looking for Marissa Dumlao’s daughter to ensure she was all right. She was later located in good condition.

The couple had recently married. Neighbors and their landlord said there were few signs of domestic problems.

Marissa Dumlao’s co-worker at Maile’s Lei Stand at Honolulu Airport said she noticed a change in Dumlao’s usually friendly demeanor. Aurora Doble said Dumlao had grown quiet lately. Doble could sense Dumlao had problems, but she did not ask questions.

Eliseo Dumlao’s only prior criminal convictions were for driving under the influence, a petty misdemeanor, in 1999 and 2002.

Court records show Dumlao was previously married and that his ex-wife filed for divorce in 2001.

This was the second murder-suicide on Oahu in a little more than a month.

On April 25, Domingo “Bunny” Dikito, 39, shot and killed his wife, Della Dikito, 38, in their Ewa Beach house. Their 8-year-old daughter, who was at home, witnessed the shooting.

Dikito then went out into the garage and killed himself.

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Ex-military man involved in murder-suicide

Article URL: http://starbulletin.com/2008/05/28/news/story03.html

May 28, 2008

Police say shootings were murder-suicide

By Gene Park

gpark@starbulletin.com

Police classified Monday’s Halawa Heights shooting as a murder-suicide case, the second on Oahu in 32 days.

A 60-year-old man shot his 45-year-old wife in the head, before turning the 9 mm handgun on himself in their Halawa Heights apartment shortly after 6:39 p.m., investigators said.

The city Medical Examiner’s Office is not yet releasing the couple’s identities, but a co-worker identified the woman as Marissa Dumlao, and her husband as Eliseo Dumlao Jr.

Monday’s shooting comes just after a month when Domingo “Bunny” Dikito shot his wife Della Dikito before killing himself at their Ewa Beach home on April 25.

Such cases show the importance of reaching out for help, said Suzanne Green, a domestic violence educator for the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

“We’re always glad there’s coverage because this has been such a secret and silencing crime,” Green said. “The longer we keep it silent, the more women get hurt and the more we continue to blame them.”

Green said she is disheartened to read online comments about how women in murder-suicide cases should learn to restrain what they say if they see their spouse’s anger rise.

“It’s irrational thinking by our society that what we do causes violence,” Green said. “When someone gets their car stolen, we don’t blame them for getting it stolen. A crime is a crime, and someone’s choice of hurting someone else is their choice.”

Police responded at 6:39 p.m. Monday to a dropped 911 call at 99-801 Halawa Heights Road in Aiea.

Officers entered the second-story unit through a back window and found the couple dead. A 9 mm semiautomatic handgun was found on Eliseo’s chest. Marissa is survived by an 18-year-old daughter, who was not living with them, police said. The couple recently was married.

Eliseo Dumlao was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in 1999 and in 2002.

According to accounts from neighbors, the couple’s landlord and friend Aurora Doble, there were little signs of possible domestic troubles. Doble worked with Marissa at Maile’s Lei Stand at the Honolulu Airport.

“Only lately she has been quiet,” said Doble, adding that Marissa began work at the stand in October last year. “Somehow I could sense that she had problems, but I didn’t ask.”

Doble said she found out about the case when she saw morning news footage of the couple’s apartment. Doble had given Marissa a ride home to the apartment before.

Doble said although she did not know the couple well, her husband knew Eliseo because they served in the Navy together.

“I’ll always remember when before she would come to work, she would pass by the bakery,” Doble said. “I’m going to miss her buying my favorite pastries. I’m really going to miss her.”

Green said the group will plan a silent march, just as they did for Della Dikito when she was shot by her husband in April’s murder-suicide case. She also advised others who are in fear of a similar situation to reach out to victims advocates for help.

“They won’t be forced to do anything or take any action,” Green said. “They’ll just find someone that will listen to them and not blame them.”

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Schofield soldier acquitted of killing an Iraqi

Soldier acquitted in killing of Iraqi

A jury rejects charges by the prosecution that the soldier’s story had several holes in it

Schofield Barracks soldier Trey Corrales credits his acquittal of premeditated murder to his commander’s testimony about Corrales’ role in a coordinated operation to root out insurgents in Iraq.

In a Wheeler Army Air Field courtroom last night, a military jury declared Sgt. 1st Class Corrales not guilty of killing the unarmed Iraqi civilian who was a suspected insurgent.

After the verdict, Corrales talked about the importance of the testimony of Lt. Col. Michael Browder, who detailed how drones, helicopters and soldiers were used to track down insurgents about to set off a roadside bomb in June.

Corrales said it feels like a 200-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“I felt confident. I know this is going to sound weird, but I wasn’t surprised,” he said. “But it was just a long time coming.”

Corrales’ wife, Lily, told their daughter Victoria, 7, “Your daddy’s free! He’s OK,” moments after the verdict was read. The sergeant held his 10-year-old son, Trey II, in a long embrace.

GENE PARK AND AP

FULL STORY »

By Gene Park
gpark@starbulletin.com

Decorated Schofield Barracks soldier Trey Corrales was acquitted yesterday of charges that he killed an unarmed, suspected Iraqi insurgent in June.

Sgt. 1st Class Corrales faced life in prison without parole after being charged with premeditated murder, obstruction of justice and allegedly soliciting the murder by instructing a subordinate to fire at the Iraqi, tentatively identified by the Army as Salih Khatab Aswad.

After more than seven hours of deliberation, the nine-member jury panel returned with the not-guilty verdict on all charges. Corrales appeared calm, and his family and fellow soldiers immediately hugged each other tight.

“I haven’t been nervous this whole time,” Corrales said after the verdict. “I still have so much faith and confidence in this Army.”

The three-day trial ends what Corrales described as a harrowing period for him and his wife and three children. He said it felt like he had left one battlefield and entered another.

He said his immediate thoughts after the verdict was read went to the 10 soldiers from his platoon who died in a helicopter crash last August. The soldiers were intended to be witnesses in Corrales’ trial.

“When this happened, I felt robbed,” Corrales said through tears. “I wanted to be with them. But I wanted to be with (my daughter) and my son and my wife. Being a soldier, you’re split between two worlds and two loves.”

Earlier in the day, Army prosecutor Capt. Laura O’Donnell told the jury not to believe Corrales’ account of the shooting, where he denied premeditation, the alleged planting of an AK-47 rifle onto the unarmed man and ordering Pvt. Christopher Shore to shoot the wounded Iraqi.

There were holes in Corrales’ account of the June 23 incident, she said, including how the detainee was able to make it to the back yard after the raided home near Kirkuk was declared secure by

Corrales’ 25th Infantry Division elite scout platoon.

“That detainee somehow made it past 16 soldiers,” she said. “That detainee magically made it to the back yard. That doesn’t make sense. What makes sense is the accused pushed him to the back yard.”

But defense attorney Frank Spinner called into question the testimony of several witnesses, including Shore’s. Shore, convicted of aggravated assault in relation to the shooting, is serving time in the Ford Island brig.

Spinner said Shore’s initial statement about the incident was that he was unsure whether he shot the wounded man. He later testified that he had shot to the right of the man, missing him.

“This whole theory … is threadbare,” Spinner said. “The centerpiece of their case wasn’t even addressed.”

Spinner attributed the shooting to the “fog of war,” where the rules of engagement becomes ambiguous according to different situations.

“This was a dynamic environment, an intense mission,” Spinner said.

Corrales credited testimony from his battalion commander at the time, Lt. Col. Michael Browder, in selling the case that it was a coordinated effort to root out insurgent movement in the area.

Corrales said he expects criticism from people who are surprised with the verdict, particularly those “who sympathize with the insurgents.”

He said Iraqi insurgents have a different value of human life than ordinary citizens do, including those in Iraq.

“The rules here in America, we can’t take them to Iraq and apply those same rules to the insurgents on the ground,” he said. “If we did, there wouldn’t be just 4,000 American soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen dead right now.”

Corrales said he was grateful to get another chance to spend more time with his family, especially since he is expected to deploy back to Iraq this October. He returned to Schofield Barracks last October from Iraq.

Source: http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/04/26/news/story01.html

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