WAILUKU - Based on information that a murder suspect wouldn't be able to return to his longtime job, 2nd Circuit Judge Joel August on Friday increased bail to $350,000 for a Kahului man charged with shooting to death his 19-year-old son.
Joe D. Antonio, 45, who is also known as Jose Antonio Sr., is being held at Maui Community Correctional Center.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with the Dec. 16 shooting.
At 10:40 that night, police responded to the family residence at 496 S. Kamehameha Ave. to investigate a report that shots had been fired. Jose Antonio Jr. was found lifeless on the ground outside a rear cottage on the property.
Witnesses told police the father and son had argued over a video-game cable that the younger man had left on the living room floor and refused to put away. The argument escalating into shoving.
Based on bullet casings recovered at the scene, police said Joe Antonio fired seven shots with his .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, leaving four bullet wounds in his son's body.
After the shooting, Antonio drove away in his truck. He was arrested when he turned himself in at the Wailuku Police Station about an hour later.
Antonio's bail was originally set at $1 million. During a Christmas Eve bail hearing, August reduced bail to $250,000 after a bail study reported that Antonio would be able to return to his job as a pressman at The Maui News, where he had worked for 18 years.
After the Christmas Eve decision was reported, August said Joe Bradley, publisher of The Maui News, left a message with the court saying Antonio would not be permitted to return to the premises of The Maui News and resume his employment until his court case is resolved.
Deputy Prosecutor Robert Rivera said he spoke with Bradley to confirm that. Rivera recommended that Antonio's bail be reinstated to $1 million.
But Deputy Public Defender Greg Ball argued that Antonio's bail amount shouldn't be affected by the change in his job status. "That does not overnight convert my client to some kind of a bum," Ball said.
He said Antonio would be eligible for unemployment benefits and would be able to draw on his skills in applying for other jobs. Antonio would need to work, Ball said, noting that the family, including his wife and daughter, were living in a rented two-bedroom apartment.
Rivera said the study recommending that Antonio's bail be reduced didn't take into consideration his dangerousness.
"The more important purpose is the safety, not only of the community, but the defendant himself," Rivera said. "If his employer won't take him back after 18 years of service, why would a new job take him on the premises and take that risk?"
In increasing Antonio's bail, August said he had to consider the new information about Antonio's employment.
The judge also ordered that Antonio undergo mental examinations by psychiatrists or psychologists to determine his mental fitness now and whether he was impaired at the time of the offense.
Ball said Antonio "seems fit."
Trial is scheduled for March 2 on the murder and firearms charges.
Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.
