Witness to landlord’s murder during eviction says suspect was dragging victim ‘like a caveman’

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A 23-year-old suspect was arrested for second-degree murder on Sunday night, several hours after he allegedly assaulted an elderly man during an eviction.

Police said the suspect ― identified as Kendall Gray ― was arrested about 7:40 p.m. Sunday.

The deadly altercation happened just before 3:30 p.m. on the sidewalk fronting an apartment building at 620 Sheridan St. in the Ala Moana area.

According to HPD, the 64-year-old victim was trying to evict the suspect’s girlfriend from her unit when he was assaulted.

HPD Lt. Deena Thoemmes said the victim was bleeding profusely from his head when first responders arrived. He was taken in critical condition to the Queen’s Medical Center, where he died.

Meanwhile, the suspect fled after allegedly striking the victim.

After his arrest, the suspect’s vehicle was also towed to the main police station.

He remains in custody.

Fellow condo owner Shawn Giles says he was with 64-year-old Alvin Matsumoto as he lay critically injured outside the apartment complex as they waited for EMS to arrive.

Property documents confirm Matsumoto owned a unit on the second floor.

“He got along with the other homeowners,” said Giles. “He just came to get his money.”

Giles says he was inside his unit around 3 p.m. on Sunday when he started hearing loud noises from inside the building. He says when they didn’t stop after two minutes, he decided to go downstairs to check it out.

That’s when he saw the suspect allegedly dragging Matsumoto, who was covered in blood, down the stairs.

“He’s dragging him like a caveman. Just dragging the body,” said Giles. “I said, ‘Hey put him down,’ and he turned around and said ‘oh, call 911. He needs help’ and from there I knew something was wrong.”

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