HONOLULU — A Honolulu man suspected of using a metal object to beat another man to death outside a home has been charged with second-degree murder.
Bail for Dale Rodriguez Jr. 41, was set at $1 million, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
He is charged in the death of Jesse Waikiki, 33, on Tuesday morning. Police are seeking a second man in the case.
Police found Waikiki at about 5 a.m. in the middle of Salt Lake Boulevard, about a block from Salt Lake Shopping Center.
Rodriguez’s 38-year-old former girlfriend also was assaulted. She was found unconscious on a grassy shoulder of the roadway, police said.
Police say an argument that began inside the woman’s house spilled outside.
A witness heard noise, looked out his bedroom window and saw Waikiki and Rodriguez arguing. The witness told police an unknown man ran toward them and punched Waikiki, who fell to the ground and may have been unconscious.
Rodriguez hit Waikiki with an unknown object, “using all of his strength to slam the object into the male’s head three times,” according to a police affidavit.
Police recovered what appeared to be a metal handle for pulling a cart. The handle had a foam grip and was bloody.
Waikiki was found on his back, bleeding with severe cuts and bruises on his face. He was rushed to Tripler Army Medical Center and pronounced dead just before 6 a.m. A Honolulu medical examiner concluded he died of blunt force injuries to the face.