Man, 27, charged with murder in death of fellow OCCC inmate

The Hawaii Department of the Attorney General has charged a 27-year-old inmate in connection with the deadly assault of a 62-year-old inmate at the Oahu Community Correctional Center in Kalihi.

Ezequiel H. Zayas made his initial appearance Thursday before Judge Michelle Comeau at Honolulu District Court via video­conferencing from OCCC on charges of first-degree murder and second-degree murder in Vance J. Grace’s death.

During Zayas’ initial appearance, Comeau repeatedly ordered him to stop speaking when he constantly interrupted the judge and talked excessively throughout the hearing.

Comeau set his preliminary hearing for October. Zayas remains in custody at the correctional facility without bail.

Charging documents filed at court Thursday revealed correctional officers responded to an assault involving two inmates in a cell at Module 7 at about 9 p.m. Monday.

When one of the correctional officers arrived, police said, he observed Zayas punching Grace in the head multiple times, causing Grace to drop to the ground. The officer repeatedly commanded Zayas to stop and get on the ground, but he did not comply.

Zayas then allegedly stomped on Grace’s head. Additional officers responded and restrained Zayas with handcuffs and leg shackles.

Court documents show Vance suffered a hematoma in the assault and was taken to The Queen’s Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

Grace was in custody awaiting trial on charges of promoting prison contraband and Zayas was in custody pending trial on burglary charges.

This is the second inmate who died from injuries in an alleged attack at a correctional facility in Hawaii within a two-week period.

Police said 25-year-old Kumulipo Sylva assaulted 70-year-old Harry Hoopii at the Halawa Correctional Facility on Aug. 19. Hoopii suffered head injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Sylva is serving a 20-year sentence for manslaughter in the 2018 deadly stabbing of a 35-year-old man on Maui.

Hoopii was serving two life terms with the possibility of parole for the December 1983 rape, sodomy and kidnapping of a 6-year-old girl and September 1983 stabbing of a 29-year-old man.