Date Set In Deedy Appeal
The federal agent who fatally shot a man in a Waikiki McDonald’s in 2011 has already had two trials.
The Hawaii Supreme Court is getting closer to deciding if Special Agent Christopher Deedy can be tried a third time for the death of Kollin Elderts.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Feb. 2 about whether a third trial would constitute double jeopardy.
Deedy, an agent with the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, shot and killed Kollin Elderts in a Waikiki McDonald’s in 2011.
Deedy has stood trial twice for Elderts’ death. The first trial in 2013, for second-degree murder, ended in a hung jury. Jurors in that trial was not allowed to consider the lesser charge of manslaughter.
In Deedy’s second trial, Deedy faced charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. The jury acquitted Deedy of murder, but hung on the manslaughter charge.
The judge in Deedy’s case ruled that prosecutors could bring Deedy back for a third trial on the manslaughter charge, but Deedy’s lawyers appealed. Details about the appeal and the arguments from both sides regarding double jeopardy are posted on the .
Civil Beat recently published a about the case in partnership with Public Radio Exchange. The series also examines national issues surrounding use of force, Hawaii history and race relations.
