A state judge ordered the release today of one of two murder defendants accused of killing a Mililani man in a dispute over their indoor marijuana growing operation, then dismembering and disposing of the body in the trash.

Michael Connolly, 24, and Joshua Williams, 25, were both in custody without the opportunity for bail pending their murder trial in February.

Today, Circuit Judge Karen Ahn ordered Connolly released pending trial and rescheduled his trial to July. Williams is still scheduled to stand trial in February.

The prosecutor did not oppose Connolly’s release and even suggested conditions to which he must abide while on pretrial release, including staying away from the witnesses in the case, living with his parents in Mililani, a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and electronic monitoring. Connolly must also report regularly to the court’s Intake Service Center, which opposed the release.

In its report to the court, the Oahu Intake Service Center recommended keeping Connolly in custody. The report said Connolly may pose a danger to the community because of the cruel, vicious and callous nature of the act of which he is accused.

He also knows who the witnesses are and where they live and he poses a high risk of fleeing because he faces a mandatory life prison term if he is found guilty, the center said.

Police said Williams told them 24-year-old Jamil Khan was taking marijuana from their operation in his Makakilo home and not paying for it. 

On April 7, Williams said, Khan arrived at the home and pointed an AK-47 rifle at him and Connolly. In response, he said Connolly attacked Khan with a hammer, hitting him on the head 10 times. 

The two then dragged Khan into the home’s upstairs bathroom, where Williams cut Khan’s throat, police said. They dismembered Khan’s body with a hacksaw, wrapped the pieces in trash bags and disposed of the parts in a gray city trash bin.

Police said Williams later drove Khan’s sport utility vehicle to Waipahu, where he set it on fire.