Hawaii island martial arts fighter pleads guilty to manslaughter
HILO >> A 21-year-old Big Island amateur mixed martial arts fighter has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and intimidating a witness.
Waylen Keone Carenio entered the plea on Tuesday, during the second day of jury selection in his manslaughter trial. He was on trial for the death of a man found unconscious outside a Hilo sports bar last year.
An autopsy shows 44-year-old Roy Williams died of blunt force trauma to the head. Witnesses say the two men were involved in a fight and that Williams fell and hit his head on the pavement.
Carenio’s attorney tells Hawaii Tribune-Herald the plea decision came after the judge ruled information from his witness intimidation case could be heard at the manslaughter trial. He was also charged with intimidating a witness to the fight.