Multiple witnesses testified Thursday during the jury trial of a Waikoloa man facing an attempted murder charge.
Last year, Joel White entered a not guilty plea to second-degree attempted murder and first degree burglary charges following an April 17 incident in Waikoloa that resulted in another man being hospitalized for a wound to his throat.
The alleged victim, Jeremy Nicholas, took the stand Thursday afternoon in Judge Ronald Ibarra’s courtroom in District Court. Nicholas, who was 20 at the time of the alleged encounter, described the night in question to White’s lawyer William Harrison.
During questioning, Nicholas revealed he was friends with White prior to the alleged attack and the two of them would associate for drug deals. Nicholas said he sold White cocaine on a number of occasions.
Harrison asked Nicholas for more details about his drug-dealing and told Nicholas that he apparently had about a pound-and-a-half of cocaine in his apartment the night of April 17. Nicholas said he did not know the exact amount of drugs he had that evening.
Harrison continued to ask Nicholas questions in an attempt to paint a picture of the incidents leading up to the alleged attack.
While on the stand, Nicholas described his side of the story saying White’s ex-girlfriend, who Nicholas later admitted to having a sexual relationship with, had been at his home prior to White’s arrival. White allegedly came by unexpectedly while White’s ex-girlfriend was over and Nicholas said he invited White inside. He said the two of them were looking at cars online and, while sitting in front of the computer, White allegedly slit his throat.
“It was a fast slash,” he said.
“I didn’t know what it was until I saw the blood,” he said.
Harrison then pressed Nicholas for details of the attack, asking him whether or not he recalled the two of them wrestling or getting into any conflict before the alleged stabbing. Nicholas repeatedly denied any altercations had occurred.
Before leaving the stand, Harrison asked Nicholas if the state was offering him any deals to testify in the case given his drug-related charges. Nicholas answered, “no,” and said he was there on his own volition.
“Because he almost killed me,” he said when asked why he was on the stand.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Cynthia Tai and Jeff Burleson represented the state Thursday and called a few other witnesses to the stand including Nathan Umeda, who called 911 for Nicholas.
Umeda said he was working in Nicholas’s neighborhood that evening when he saw him jogging toward him wearing what appeared to be a red shirt. After he got closer, however, Umeda said he realized that Nicholas was not wearing a shirt.
“His whole body was pretty much covered in blood,” he said.
Umeda, who did not know Nicholas prior to the incident, said he then gave him his T-shirt to stop the blood while the two of them approached a neighboring house. Umeda called 911 while Nicholas knocked on the door for help, he said.
Burleson played the 911 call to the jurors which displayed Umeda talking to a dispatcher about a man whose throat had been badly cut.
The house the two were knocking on was Karl Long’s, who also testified Thursday. Long said he heard someone ringing his doorbell repeatedly that evening and when he opened the door he saw Nicholas standing there with his hands over his neck.
Long later described the interaction saying him and his wife gave Nicholas nine to 10 small towels to help control the bleeding.
“When he tried to communicate and breath, blood was coming out and hitting the wall.”
Long was the last witness to provide testimony Thursday. The trial will continue at 9 a.m today.