Kawaihae Man Indicted in Murder of Kona Resident
A Kona grand jury has indicted a Kawaihae man for murder in connection with the discovery in March of the remains of a Kailua-Kona man in South Kohala.
Martin Frank Booth, 55, was arrested this morning while already in custody at the Kona police station in Kealakehe.
Police said Booth has been incarcerated at Hawaii Community Correctional Center since February pending trial on a variety of charges including meth trafficking and firearm offenses.
He was transported to the Kona police station this morning where he was served with the arrest warrant from the grand jury indictment.
Booth is being held without bail.
The remains of Robert Keawe Lopaka Ryder were found March 10 in brush land about halfway between Puako Beach Drive and Queen Ka`ahumanu Highway.
Ryder, 37, had been reported missing by his family on Jan. 17, but had not been seen since Thanksgiving 2013.
An autopsy determined that Ryder had died from blunt force trauma to the head.