A 29-year-old Hilo man accused of strangling his 24-year-old girlfriend to death almost 2 1/2 years ago has pleaded not guilty.
A 29-year-old Hilo man accused of strangling his 24-year-old girlfriend to death almost 2 1/2 years ago has pleaded not guilty.
Ekolu Keolanui entered the plea Friday before Hilo Circuit Judge Peter Kubota. Keolanui is charged with second-degree murder for the death of Sable-Marie Keffer-Young, which allegedly occurred during a domestic incident July 19, 2019 at Malama Park in Pana‘ewa.
No trial date was set. Kubota ordered Keolanui — who’s serving a 10-year prison term for a 2017 domestic incident in which he kidnapped and sexually assaulted Keffer-Young — to return to court on March 24 for “further proceedings.”
