Man indicted in '75 child slaying
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
The O'ahu grand jury yesterday indicted Delmar Edmonds on charges of killing a 13-year-old girl in 1975 and trying to kill her friend.
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Edmonds was charged with one count each of murder and attempted murder and his bail was set at $500,000. Edmonds, 46, is being held in an Indiana prison after a warrant was issued for his arrest last month charging him with the murder of Dawn "Dede" Bustamante.
A grand jury returned Delmar Edmonds's indictment yesterday.
Edmonds faces an extradition hearing Aug. 28. His attorney, Marcel Pratt, could not be reached for comment yesterday, but he earlier said he and Edmonds needed time to review the case before deciding whether to fight Edmonds' return to Hawai'i.
City Deputy Prosecutor Rom Trader would not comment on who testified before the grand jury or what evidence was presented at the secret proceeding.
But, he said, "We did present what we thought was the key evidence in the case."
Trader added that yesterday's indictment should help the state in its attempt to extradite Edmonds. He said he expects Edmonds to be in Hawai'i within two months.
"We hope to supplement what we've already prepared for the extradition process by virtue of the fact that we now have an indictment in hand," Trader said. "That wasn't something that we had at the time that Mr. Edmonds was arrested. But we don't expect there to be any real difficulties."
Edmonds, a former Marine stationed at Kane'ohe, is accused of the kidnap, rape, beating and murder of Bustamante on March 14, 1975.
Bustamante was shot in the head as she attempted to flee a man who had kidnapped and assaulted her and a friend, also 13.
The friend was able to escape.
Under state law, the statute of limitations has expired for the prosecution of kidnapping, rape and other charges except for murder and attempted murder counts.
Bustamante's body was found on a secluded road behind the Pali Golf Course. The case remained dormant until last year when a former Kane'ohe Marine sent an e-mail to CrimeStoppers in Honolulu saying that he had information on the case.
If convicted, Edmonds' punishment would be based on laws on the books in 1975.
He would face a life term in prison with the possibility of parole, or 20 years in prison for each of the counts, Trader said.
Trader acknowledged that the case will be difficult to try because it is 26 years old.
"Witnesses that were once around are no longer here," he said. "The witnesses that we can locate, certainly their memories may have been affected by the passage of time. But we're prepared to deal with whatever challenges present themselves."
Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8025.
