Man charged in fatal Kaimuki stabbing makes initial court appearance

A 43-year-old man charged in connection with Wednesday’s stabbing death of a 32-year-old man in Kaimuki made his initial appearance at Honolulu District Court today.

Welden Manuel appeared before Judge Tracy Fukui via video teleconference from the courthouse cellblock after prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder in the death of Otil Oiterong.

Manuel is scheduled to appear at his preliminary hearing Tuesday. His bail is set at $1 million.

Honolulu police in court documents said officers responded to a call of a stabbing that occurred under a bridge near the intersection of Kapiolani Boulevard and Kaimuki Avenue just before noon Wednesday.

Oiterong was taken to The Queen’s Medical Center in critical condition where he died from a stab wound to his right ventricle, resulting in severe blood loss, court documents said.

Police said a witness told officers heard two men arguing. The witness then saw Oiterong with blood all over his stomach and the suspect holding a bloody knife. The suspect was then seen jumping over a fence and running across Kapiolani Boulevard.

Police spotted him and chased after the suspect. Once police caught up to him, an officer observed the handle of a knife in the suspect’s front waistband of his pants and ordered him to to drop the knife.

The suspect complied and threw the knife on the ground. Police arrested him on suspicion of murder.

Court documents indicated officers observed blood on Manuel’s face, hands and pants at the time of his arrest. Police also saw blood on the knife.

Manuel has a criminal record of five petty misdemeanor convictions for assault, harassment and criminal trespassing.