A state jury deliberated the equivalent of a full day before finding Brandon Reis guilty Monday of the attempted murder of a man who, in his haste to flee, got pinned under his own car and died.
The jury also found Reis, 35, whose last address was in Pearl City, guilty of using a firearm to commit the attempted murder, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, possessing a firearm while under indictment for other crimes and carrying a firearm in the open without a license.
He faces a mandatory life prison term with possible release on parole for the attempted murder at sentencing January. He also faces a mandatory 20-year prison term for using a firearm in the attempted murder and maximum 10-year terms for each of the other charges.
At the time of the attempted murder, Reis was awaiting trial for armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary, impersonating a law enforcement officer, car theft and drug and firearm possession in four separate cases. Those cases were put on hold pending the outcome of the attempted murder trial.
Reis already has convictions for burglary, assault and domestic abuse.
Kyen Knowles, 36, died of asphyxia June 22, 2016, on Waterhouse Street in Kalihi.
The state played for the jury security video from a nearby Gulick Avenue business that shows Knowles pulling into a parking stall in a mixed-use residential and commercial complex. The video then shows Reis walking toward Knowles from across the parking lot pointing a handgun.
Knowles’ car is then seen reversing into the middle
of the parking lot with Reis pointing a gun into the vehicle from the passenger side of the car. As the car is reversing and turning right,
the driver door opens, and Knowles exits, is hit by the door and falls to the pavement. The car stops with the front driver-side tire pinning Knowles to the ground.
The video shows Reis move around the front of the car, look at Knowles pinned on the ground, then jog off.
There is no sound on the video. However, it appears Reis fired one shot from the handgun. It did not hit Knowles or the car. Police recovered a single shell casing in the parking lot.
Defense lawyer Keith Shigetomi told the jury that Reis fired in self-defense.
Reis did not testify or present any other witnesses in his defense.
Deputy prosecutor David Van Acker said the only evidence of a connection between the two men is that Knowles may have looked funny at Reis’ car earlier.