State Department security officer Christopher Deedy pleaded not guilty today to a charge that he murdered Kailua resident Kollin Elderts in Waikiki November 5 and a preliminary trial date was set for early next year.
Deedy’s lawyer, prominent Honolulu defense attorney Brook Hart, said he will ask presiding judge Karen Ahn for a continuance beyond January.
The second-degree murder charge and a firearms offense were lodged against Deedy, 27, after he fatally shot Elderts, 23, in an early morning altercation at McDonald’s restaurant on Kuhio Avenue.
Hart has said Deedy acted in self defense.
Michael Green, an attorney who is suing Deedy on behalf of Elderts’ family, has said the shooting was unjustified.
Green claimed Deedy was intoxicated at the time of the 3 a.m. shooting.
Deedy reportedly refused to take an intoxilyzer test.
The Medical Examiner’s office reported that Elderts had a blood alcohol level of .12 – above the .08 limit for driving a car. Elderts also had marijuana and cocaine in his system.
Deedy, who lives on the East Coast, was in Honolulu to help provide security for dignitaries attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference. He has posted $250,000 bail pending trial.