Big Island man found guilty for attempted murder

A jury found a Big Island man guilty of attempted murder Thursday afternoon.

Joel White, of Waimea, has been on trial for more than a week after being arrested for stabbing Jeremy Nicholas several times at his Waikoloa home on April 17 of last year.

White faced second-degree attempted murder and first-degree burglary charges following the incident that left Nicholas with several stab wounds.

The jury dismissed White’s burglary charge but found him guilty of attempted murder Thursday following more than a week of testimony in 3rd Circuit Court Judge Ronald Ibarra’s courtroom.

The verdict came after closing arguments were heard that day.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Burleson approached the jurors first and told them White was guilty of the crime.

“This case is about the brutal attempted murder of Jeremy Nicholas at the hand of the defendant,” he said.

Burleson went on and used the word “brutal” multiple times and continued to say White knew what he was doing on April 17, 2014.

“He wanted to kill Jeremy,” he said.

According to testimony, Nicholas was stabbed five times in the back and received a cut to his throat. The defense argued White acted in self-defense.

Burleson, however, said the evidence presented in court was enough to prove White guilty of the crime.

“Common sense tells you, you don’t stab someone in the back five times, slit their throat and call it self defense,” he said.

He also tried to poke holes in White’s testimony, saying it didn’t match up with the crime scene and White conveniently testified he did not know when the stabbing took place.

“His story is self-serving and utterly convenient,” he said.

After a brief recess White’s attorney William Harrison gave his closing argument by using a PowerPoint and laying out the undisputed and disputed facts side by side.

He pointed out that testimony showed that both sides agreed that White went over to Nicholas’ house that night to retrieve his girlfriend, Nicholas invited him into his home, and both Nicholas and White agreed that White wasn’t upset with him at the time.

He also said White had been cooperative since the incident and pointed out that he didn’t attempt to hide the Leatherman tool used in the brawl.

Harrison also argued that if White had cut Nicholas’ throat at his computer desk, where Nicholas said the attack occurred, then there would have been blood at the desk and chair, which there wasn’t.

Harrison also argued that most of the blood was seen in another room in the house, alluding to the idea that Nicholas’ neck could have been cut there.

Juror’s went into deliberations for a few hours Thursday before convicting White of the crime.

White’s sentencing date is scheduled for 8 a.m. June 25 at Kona Circuit Court.