Hawaii Island police have charged 51-year-old Stanley Marion Cummins of Pahoa with the murder of a man at their residence in the Hawaiian Shores subdivision of Puna.
The victim has been identified as 35-year-old Jace Whitney Keakahi Ahquin, of Pahoa.
After conferring with county prosecutors, at 3:40 p.m. Sunday, detectives charged Cummins with second-degree murder.
The victim and suspect were acquaintances. Ahquin was renting a room in the residence from Cummins who is the property owner.
Cummins charge stems from an incident on Saturday morning shortly before 7 a.m., when Puna patrol officers responded to the Hawaiian Shores home after it was reported that a male victim had been struck in the head with a bat. Upon officer’s arrival at the home, they located the victim in bed on the ground floor of the residence with apparent traumatic injuries to his head and facial area consistent with being beaten.
Police personnel immediately began performing CPR on the victim until Hawaii Fire Department medics arrived; however, their efforts were unsuccessful.
At approximately 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Cummins drove to the Pahoa police station and turned himself in to police. He was arrested without incident.
The victim was transported to the Hilo Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 12:05 p.m.
An autopsy will be performed early this week to determine the exact cause of death.
Cummins is being held in lieu of $1,000,000 bail pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Monday in Hilo District Court.
Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to call Detective Wendell Carter of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at 961-2383 or wendell.carter@hawaiicounty.gov or the Hawaii Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311.