Waiki Accomplice Gets Five Years

Kiel Brende, an accomplice of Justin Waiki who murdered Hawai‘i Police Department (HPD) Officer Bronson Kaliloa, is on his way to prison.

Brende was convicted of first-degree hindering prosecution on Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, in Kona Circuit Court. He faces five years behind bars for his role in the summer saga that involved a three-day manhunt, multiple shootings of police officers and, ultimately, Waiki shot dead in the back of a vehicle in Ka‘ū at the hands of police.

Waiki killed Kaliloa on the night of July 17, 2018. Brende failed to inform police that he’d picked up Waiki near the scene shortly after the crime. Brende also later provided police with information on Waiki’s whereabouts, which ultimately helped in his capture. But that fact wasn’t enough to sway the court’s decision.

Six others charged in some capacity as accomplices of Waiki have yet to be adjudicated.