Hāmākua Man Arrested in Connection With Waipio Murder

Wayne Teves. HPD photo.

Hawaiʻi Island police have arrested a 67-year-old Hāmākua man following his indictment by a grand jury for a 2016 murder in Waipiʻo Valley.

On Monday, Aug. 14, Wayne Teves was arrested without incident at his Waipiʻo Valley residence and charged with second-degree murder and carrying or using a firearm in the commission of a separate felony.

He is being held at the Hilo cellblock on $500,000 bail pending his initial appearance in Circuit Court Tuesday, Aug. 15.

On March 3, 2016, police responded to a report of a body that was found partially submerged in a stream near the back of Waipiʻo Valley.

The victim was later identified as 49-year-old Thaine Price, who was also a resident of Waipiʻo Valley.

An autopsy determined that the victim died from a gunshot wound to his torso.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or have any other information about it is asked to call the Hawai‘i Police Department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Detective Todd Pataray of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2382 or Todd.Pataray@hawaiicounty.gov.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to any caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

This information was provided by the authorities. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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