Susa faces life term for murder of visitor

A jury found Aaron Susa guilty Monday of second-degree murder for killing a 25-year-old visitor from New Mexico whose nude body washed up on the shoreline fronting the Royal Hawaiian hotel.

Susa, 33, testified Bryanne Antone was alive when they parted ways on the beach on Oct. 2, 2009, but a Circuit Court jury determined he was responsible for her drowning. The medical examiner had said Antone had strangulation-type injuries on her neck.

When he is sentenced in February, Susa faces a mandatory life prison term with the possibility of parole.

Antone and her younger brother were in Honolulu with their mother, who was attending an American Dental Association annual convention at the Hawai’i Convention Center.

Her brother testified they met Susa and another man on the evening of Oct. 1 in Waikiki while looking to buy marijuana.

Susa had just been released from state custody after serving 12 days in jail for violating probation for unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle. He also has convictions for drug and drug paraphernalia possession.

Antone’s brother said he last saw his sister alive with Susa after the siblings, Susa and the other man smoked marijuana and drank vodka on the beach.

Susa said he and Bryanne Antone had sex on the beach and in the ocean. He said they parted in opposite directions after Antone accused him of having her purse stolen while they were in the ocean.

Police found an envelope containing Susa’s release papers and other personal information on the beach near where Antone’s body was found the next morning.

Police arrested Susa four days later after he ingested and injected Drano into his body in an attempted suicide. He said he didn’t want to go back to jail. He said he knew police were looking for him but didn’t know why.

Antone’s purse, cellphone and camera turned up at McCully Shopping Center.

A man who says he takes early morning walks at Waikiki Beach said he found the purse and other items on a shirt on the beach. He said he bundled the items in the shirt and put it in the mailbox at the shopping center. It was eventually found by a shopping center maintenance worker.