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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Joseph Tui Jr. gestured after his initial court appearance Tuesday on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his Oahu Community Correctional Center cellmate.
Cyrl Chung (Courtesy mugshot)
An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment today charging Joseph Tui Jr. with first-degree murder for the March 9 beating death of a fellow pretrial inmate at Oahu Community Correctional Center.
Cyrl Chung, 76, also known as Cyril Chung, died from head injuries caused by blunt force trauma, an autopsy determined.
The state Department of Public Safety said Tui, 32, and Chung were sharing a special holding unit because of overcrowding at the facility. Department director Ted Sakai said Tui was placed in the holding unit because he threatened a staff member. Chung was there for cigarette possession.
Tui was in custody for two misdemeanor harassment cases. One of the cases also included fourth-degree sexual assault.
Chung had been in custody for two years while awaiting trial for robbery.
