A Hilo grand jury late last month indicted a 60-year-old Naalehu woman and a 55-year-old Ocean View man for the shooting death of a 21-year-old Puna woman more than 13 years ago.
The seven-count indictment returned on Dec. 28 charges Patricia Hanoa Wong with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and two counts of criminal solicitation.
It also charges Peter Fuerte with being an accomplice to second-degree murder and being an accomplice to attempted second-degree murder for the death of Kaycee Maile Smith, a former high school rodeo standout for Kamehameha Schools Kapalama.
Fuerte also is one of two people Wong allegedly solicited in the conspiracy to kill Smith. The indictment names the other as Frank Costa, who is not charged in the indictment.
Both Wong and Fuerte face mandatory sentences of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole if convicted of any of the charges in the indictment.
Smith, known as “Bug,” was found dead June 30, 2009, in the living room of a rented Orchidland Drive home where she lived alone. A handgun was found at the scene, and an autopsy determined Smith died of a single gunshot wound to the head.
Wong was previously indicted in 2016 on a single count of second-degree murder for Smith’s death. She was tracked down in Las Vegas and extradited back to the Big Island for arraignment. Her trial had been pending since, but the Dec. 28 indictment supersedes the original charge.
According to a written statement by county Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen, Wong is scheduled for arraignment and plea on the new charges in Hilo Circuit Court on Monday. Fuerte’s initial court appearance is being scheduled.
A bench warrant issued with the indictment sets Wong’s bail at $250,000, the same amount as she posted when originally charged in 2016. Fuerte’s bail was set at $50,000.
Possible motives for the slaying include revenge and money.
Police think Smith’s late father, Noel “Bear” Smith, fatally shot 28-year-old Jeremy Napoleon on June 19, 2007, in the yard of Napoleon’s Hawaiian Paradise Park home.
The 45-year-old Noel Smith died about three hours later, when his 2007 Dodge pickup truck ran off Akoni Pule Highway (Highway 270) in North Kohala and crashed into an embankment.
The late Al Cabral, then-president of the Hawaii Horse Owners Association, told the Tribune-Herald in July 2009 that Kaycee Smith and her older sister, Shelly, each inherited a considerable sum of money after their father’s death.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
