Man pleads not guilty to killing son

James Bonham leaves the courtroom under supervised release after pleading not guilty to second-degree murder Friday in Circuit Court. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
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A 66-year-old Captain Cook man pleaded not guilty Friday to the shooting death of his son in April.

James Bonham is charged with a single count of second-degree murder in the April 28 shooting death of 45-year-old Joshua Bonham.

A jury trial date has been set for Nov. 4, but Bonham’s attorney, Michael Green, indicated he may file a motion to continue the trial due to a backlog of cases on other islands.

Kona Circuit Court Judge Robert D.S. Kim maintained Bonham’s supervised release status with conditions including the use of electronic monitoring.

The single charge of second-degree murder stems from a reported shooting in the 83-5000 block of Middle Keei Road in Captain Cook, according to police, who were sent the area at 9:09 p.m. April 28.

According to court records, Bonham called 911 to report he had shot his son. When police arrived, Bonham indicated his deceased son was the only one in the house, and gave officers the location of the firearm inside the house.

When police entered the home, court records state, officers found the front sliding glass door shattered and Joshua Bonham’s body lying face down on the floor with a gunshot wound to his upper shoulder area. The victim was later pronounced dead at Kona Community Hospital.

Police recovered a shotgun, one spent shell and two live cartridges at the scene, according to court records.

Police said an autopsy determined Joshua Bonham died of a gunshot wound to the back.