Captain Cook man charged with negligent homicide following fatal New Year’s Day crash

A man from Captain Cook charged with negligent homicide and DUI after reportedly hitting and killing a pedestrian on New Year’s Day was granted supervised release this afternoon.

Kelly Kaikili Losalio is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 23.

According to Hawai‘i Island police, the crash occurred at 12:02 a.m. in the 82-1000 block of Kinue Road, a residential area mauka of the Captain Cook police substation. Through the course of their investigation, officers learned that 23-year-old Losalio was traveling east in a white 2018 Honda Accord on Kinue Road when he hit Nelson Kainue Leslie, 52, who was setting up fireworks in the roadway in celebration of the new year.

After hitting Leslie, police say the Honda collided with a parked white 1998 Chevrolet pickup truck.

Leslie was transported to the Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1 a.m. Losalio was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant and negligent homicide.

Preliminary findings suggested that both speed and impairment contributed to the collision.

The Area II Traffic Enforcement Unit has initiated a negligent homicide investigation and is asking anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact Officer Dayson Taniguchi at 808-326-4646 ext. 229 or email at dayson.taniguchi@hawaiicounty.gov.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300.

This was the first traffic fatality of 2025 compared to zero at this time last year.

Mugshot of Losalio is not available.