KEALAKEKUA — Brothers accused in connection with the alleged murder of a Holualoa man, who’s body was discovered in a Captain Cook coffee field in August 2015, appeared Monday in Kona District Court for a preliminary hearing. ADVERTISING KEALAKEKUA —
KEALAKEKUA — Brothers accused in connection with the alleged murder of a Holualoa man, who’s body was discovered in a Captain Cook coffee field in August 2015, appeared Monday in Kona District Court for a preliminary hearing.
Eber Miranda-Garcia, 27, and Marlon Miranda-Garcia, 24, were arrested last week at a work site in the Kawaihae area. A woman, Jessilyn Hoohuli, also was arrested but was released pending investigation.
A third brother, Himer Miranda-Garcia, 35, also turned himself in last week. He was released but is in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The arrests were a result of an extensive investigation, which included the recent receiving of DNA results.
Testimony during Monday’s preliminary hearing described the events that led to how and when the body of Dolores Borja Valle, 71, was found Aug. 9, 2015.
Janean Buckley testified that she has lived in Captain Cook on Keopuka Mauka Road for 30 years and was the first person to discover Valle’s body.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Sheri Lawson asked Buckley to describe her morning routine two years ago.
Buckley testified she would get up at daybreak and walk her two dogs down her driveway about 7 a.m. She said as she was walking back up the driveway the morning of Aug. 9, 2015, one of her dogs beelined it toward a coffee field near her driveway. When she pursued, she found a body, later identified as Valle, down an embankment on a neighboring property.
Buckley described the body as face up, partially naked and with its head covered by a black plastic bag. She testified observing a purple rope and what appeared to be two white baby-sized blankets.
“I grabbed the dogs and ran home,” Buckley said. “My eyes and brain wouldn’t wrap around what I was seeing.”
She said the last time she walked past the area was at about 5:15 p.m. the day before she discovered the body. At that time, there wasn’t a body there.
David Matsushima, a detective with Hawaii Police Department, testified that he met at the police station before 8 a.m. Aug. 9, where he and other detectives were informed about the body’s discovery.
Matsushima also stated the top half of the body was covered by a plastic bag. He added the victim’s pants were pulled down to the knees and he wasn’t wearing shoes.
“It looked like the body was placed there,” the detective said. “It was flat on its back.”
Matsushima also testified about a .22 rifle found in plain sight in the coffee field.
No ID was found in the area. When police ran a check to see who the rifle belonged to, they discovered it belonged to Valle. A picture was attached to the file. Authorities at that point visually confirmed Valle’s identity.
Matsushima also testified fingerprints and fingernail clippings from the victim were collected.
Authorities determined Valle was employed by coffee company Mountain Thunder. Matsushima testified that on Aug. 10, detectives reached out to his employer, Trent Bateman. They learned Valle was in charge of a coffee operation in Holualoa and managed coffee pickers in the same area.
Matsushima testified that the person who managed the coffee farm where Valle’s body was found wasn’t aware the victim had ever been to that field in the past.
Matsushima stated he was present during Valle’s autopsy.
“I saw 14 wounds to the head,” he said. “A wound behind the ear seemed to penetrate the skull.”
The preliminary hearing was continued to Aug. 30. Bail for Eber and Marlon Miranda-Garcia was maintained at $500,000 each.
Email Tiffany DeMasters at tdemasters@westhawaiitoday.com.
