KAILUA-KONA — Four people were arrested on murder charges in connection to the death of a 69-year-old man found in a Captain Cook coffee field nearly two years ago.
The body of Dolores Borja-Valle of Holualoa, also known as Lolo, was found Aug. 9, 2015. According to Hawaii police, Lolo died from sharp and blunt force trauma to the head.
Three brothers and a woman believed to be a girlfriend to one of the men were taken into custody over Monday and Tuesday.
On Monday afternoon, warrants were issued for the arrests of Holualoa residents Marlon Miranda-Garcia, Eber Miranda-Garcia, Himer Miranda-Garcia and Jessilyn Lokelani Hoohuli.
Hoohuli, 32, was taken into custody Monday at Uncle Billy’s in Kailua-Kona.
Marlon Miranda-Garcia, 24, and Eber Miranda-Garcia, 27, were also arrested Monday at a jobsite in the Kawaihae area.
Himer Miranda-Garcia, 35, turned himself in at the Kona police station just after midnight.
The four suspects are being held on suspicion of murder in the second degree and accomplice to murder in the second degree. Police have 48 hours to file official charges against the Miranda-Garcia brothers, all of Honduras, and Hoohuli.
Valle worked on the Mountain Thunder coffee farm for 15 years. Trent Bateman, former owner of the company, said Valle was one of the hardest workers and most loyal people he’d ever met.
“I got him his citizenship here,” Bateman said.
Bateman said Valle ran the northside department as a cherry buyer. He also managed clientele and managed farms in North Kona.
Valle’s death was a shock.
“It was a heavy loss to us mentally and financially,” Bateman said.
Authorities say Valle was originally from El Salvador.
At the time of the incident in 2015, Maj. Robert Wagner with Hawaii police, said investigators didn’t have the evidence to obtain warrants to make arrests in the case.
The investigation, among other things, involved DNA evidence.