Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Friday, April 26, 2024 73° Today's Paper


Hawaii News

Suspect No. 2 in cabbie’s attack extradited from Kansas

Rosemarie Bernardo

A second suspect in the stabbing and robbery of a taxicab driver in Manoa two years ago was extradited Thursday to Honolulu from Lawrence, Kan.

John Michael Walton, 23, of no local address, was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail in the attack of 54-year-old taxi driver Minh Van Tran. Walton apparently fled after the attack, which occurred in November 2008.

A grand jury indicted Walton in April 2009 on charges of first-degree robbery and second-degree attempted murder.

On Nov. 15, 2008, Tran, a driver for TheCab, picked up Walton and Courage Lee Elkshoulder in Makiki and drove them to Manoa. One of the two men asked for change, and Elkshoulder allegedly stabbed Tran in the neck, police said. He also suffered lacerations to his hand and a stab wound to his arm.

At some point Walton held him down, and both men stole his wallet and fled, police said.

Tran was transported to the Queen’s Medical Center in critical condition and later released.

Several days after the stabbing, Elkshoulder, a Makiki resident who was 34 at the time, surrendered to police following a CrimeStoppers bulletin that released a surveillance photo of him and Walton.

The grand jury also indicted Elkshoulder on charges of second-degree attempted murder and first-degree robbery.

Prosecutors have filed a motion to consolidate the men’s cases into one trial that is scheduled for July 8.

 

Comments are closed.