Suspect in deadly Hilo crash allegedly appeared intoxicated, resisted officers
Kimo Medeiros, 43, appeared in court Thursday facing multiple charges in connection with the crash.
HILO (HawaiiNewsNow) - The suspect in a deadly crash that killed a grandmother and her three-week-old granddaughter faced a Hawaii Island judge from his hospital bed on Oahu Thursday.
Kimo Medeiros, 43, was charged with the following:
- Two counts of manslaughter
- Two counts of negligent homicide
- One count of promoting a dangerous drug in the third degree
- One count of promoting a detrimental drug in the third degree
Meanwhile, newly released court documents reveal what allegedly occurred.
Dashcam allegedly captured truck speeding, crossing into oncoming traffic
According to court documents, a witness’s dashcam footage allegedly captured Medeiros’ truck speeding, tailgating, and crossing into oncoming traffic moments before he struck the victims.
The sedan was carrying six people, including Anina Masaichy, 47, and her granddaughter, said police.
Police said the sedan’s driver, Masaichy’s 51-year-old husband, tried to swerve to avoid the crash. The vehicles collided head-on, and Masaichy was thrown from the car.
Masaichy was taken to Hilo Benioff Medical Center in critical condition, while her granddaughter was airlifted to Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children on Oahu with skull fractures, said police.
Masaichy was later pronounced dead at around 8 p.m.
On Monday, Oct. 27, her infant granddaughter was also pronounced dead.
The other passengers, including Masaichy’s husband, a 4-year-old boy, a 17-year-old girl, and an 18-year-old woman, suffered serious injuries, police said.
Suspect allegedly screamed profanities, reeked of alcohol
According to court documents, when responding officers arrived at the scene, they said Medeiros allegedly had “red, watery glassy eyes, and the distinct odor of alcoholic beverage emanating” from his face and body.
Police said Medeiros also allegedly tried to conceal a black, rolled-up sock in his pocket.
When police tried to recover the sock, Medeiros allegedly “became actively resistant, screaming profanities and yelling” and “appeared passively resistant kicking toward officers and thrashing about.”
Paramedics took Medeiros to Hilo Benioff Medical Center before he was flown to Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu.
Testing reveals alleged drug possession
The black sock Medeiros allegedly carried contained more than 1.5 grams of methamphetamine, said police.
When police executed a search warrant on Medeiros’ truck, they found two glass pipes, one with residue matching methamphetamine.
Police said they also found more than four grams of marijuana in the truck.
Medeiros denied supervised release
On Thursday, Oct. 30, deputy prosecuting attorney Matthew Woodward argued against Medeiros’ supervised release or a bail reduction.
Woodward argued that Medeiros is a four-time prior felon, was previously convicted of assault against family members, and has five prior revocations for bail or pretrial release.
Woodward told the court Medeiros had also attempted to leave the hospital and made statements about flying off-island.
“At the end of the day, Your Honor, he’s a danger to the community, and he is an absolute risk of flight,” said Woodward.
The judge denied supervised release, maintained bail, and set a preliminary hearing for Nov. 3 in Hilo District Court.
Medeiros’ bail was set at $1,511,000.
Police believe speed, alcohol, and drugs were factors in this crash.
This marks Hawaii Island’s 20th traffic fatality this year, compared to 25 at the same time last year.
Tips can be sent to Officer Laurence Davis at (808) 961-2391 or laurence.davis@hawaiipolice.gov, or anonymously to (808) 935-3311.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
