Kona man pleads guilty to murdering 2 homeless men in West Hawai‘i

A Kona man initially pleading not guilty to murdering two homeless men and assaulting a man and woman in Hilo, changed his plea to guilty.

Chito K. Asuncion, 25, appeared in 3rd Circuit Court on Aug. 28 where he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in connection to the stabbings of Boyd Maygra on June 7, 2022, and Brian Macaulay on May 17, 2022.

He also pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault for stabbing and injuring Gary Nakagawa on May 25, 2022, and Alice Coleman on May 30, 2022.

Asuncion is slated for sentencing on Nov. 20. The second-degree murder charge carries a penalty of life in prison with the possibility of parole. The 25-year-old is facing a maximum of 10 years in prison for the assault charges.

Asuncion was arrested on June 7, 2022, after Hawai‘i Island police discovered the lifeless body of Maygra, found with multiple stab wounds, at Hale Halawai Park. He was taken into custody the same day when he was found near the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway and Henry Street intersection.

Through the course of their investigation, detectives linked Asuncion to the stabbing death of Macaulay, who was found near the intersection of Palani Road and Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway in Kailua-Kona on May 17.

Asuncion was also connected to assaults that occurred in Hilo where Nakagawa, 59, and Coleman, 70, both from Hilo, were stabbed in separate attacks. The victims survived.