Court records show a Farrington High School football player and his older brother were stabbed in a dispute over drugs, leaving the Kalihi teen with a fatal chest wound — two days shy of his 17th birthday.
Adrian J. Bringas, 27, was charged Thursday with second-degree murder in the death of Wesley Ulugalu-Sula, 16; and second-
degree assault of Ulugalu-Sula’s 18-year-old brother, Chippa. Bail was set at $500,000.
Following Bringas’ initial appearance in Honolulu District Court on Friday morning, a preliminary hearing in the case was set for Tuesday.
Bringas also was arrested for violating terms of his probation, and while in custody was arrested for violating terms of a protective order.
The Ulugalu-Sula brothers were stabbed Tuesday at about 9:45 p.m. in the middle of Ahonui Street near the Kuhio Park Low Rise housing complex.
Bringas allegedly approached a group of juvenile males in the street fronting the Kalihi public housing complex and attempted to sell them illegal drugs, according to a police affidavit filed in District Court on Friday.
An argument broke out with the brothers, and the dispute ended up in the middle of the street, where Bringas was allegedly seen pulling an object out of his backpack. Wesley Ulugalu- Sula then was stabbed once in the upper chest, the police statement said.
Bringas then allegedly got into a fight with Chippa Ulugalu-Sula and stabbed him in the upper right leg.
Police said Bringas fled on foot but flagged down a police officer at a gas station on Middle Street.
After the stabbings, the brothers were taken to the Queen’s Medical Center, where Wesley Ulugalu-Sula, who would have celebrated his 17th birthday Thursday, died at 10:35 p.m. Chippa Ulugalu-Sula, who was transported in serious condition, was treated for a stab wound to the right hip and released.
An autopsy is being conducted by the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of Wesley Ulugalu- Sula’s death.
Bringas also sustained injuries to the left and back side of his head and abrasions to both knees. He was treated at a hospital, where he was arrested early Wednesday morning and later transferred to the cellblock at the main police station on Beretania Street.
Wesley Ulugalu-Sula was a junior at Farrington and a defensive player on the Governors’ varsity football team.
Bringas has 24 criminal convictions dating back to 2008, including three felonies, according to the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center. The felony convictions were for breaking into a car, abuse and second-degree robbery. He also has been convicted eight times for violating terms of his probation.
Bringas’ last conviction was in February for fourth-degree theft, a petty misdemeanor, and he was sentenced to three days in jail.
