Camp Smith soldier indicted in wife’s death

A Camp Smith soldier accused of killing his wife last month in Waikiki was indicted Tuesday on a charge of murder by an Oahu grand jury.

Leonardo Chavez was charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Tara Isnin. Because he is believed to have used a semiautomatic weapon in the killing, Chavez faces an extended term of life in prison without the possibility of parole, if convicted.

State Circuit Judge Richard Perkins set Chavez’s bail at $1 million.

Chavez, 40, from the Dominican Republic, remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound in his right cheek. He told an emergency medical responder that he had shot himself.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office says Isnin, 33, who was from Singapore, died of brain injuries caused by multiple gunshot wounds.

City ambulance workers responding to a call at the couple’s Waikiki condominium Oct. 28 found Chavez and Isnin inside. Chavez was bleeding and Isnin was on a couch.

Ala Wai Townhouse residents said they heard gunshots the weekend before the couple were found.

The Honolulu Police Department has declined to say who made the 911 call or what the caller said. Police spokeswoman Michelle Yu said the department has submitted the recording of the 911 call as evidence in Chavez’s prosecution.

The department, however, has said Chavez is the only suspect.

Friends in Singapore said Isnin was contemplating divorce. They said she and Chavez were married for just two months but had been together for at least a year.

An Army spokesman said Chavez, a soldier for 18 years, had been stationed at Camp Smith for the past 19 months and assigned to the Pacific Command’s Special Operations Command.