Five await trial in killing of Kane'ohe store owner

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward OÎahu Writer

KANE'OHE — A year after Kane'ohe liquor store owner Song Chol Marshall was found dead in a dumpster behind a Waimanalo restaurant on Christmas Day, five men await trial in the case as his widow carries on the business.

"I'm working hard," said his widow, Kyong, yesterday from the store owned by her family. "Lots of people helping me. I have my family and friends."

Marshall, 45, had just closed Angie's Market on Kane'ohe Bay Drive on Christmas Eve 2000 when several men grabbed him and the day's receipts, shot him in the head and shoved him into a van.

The case shocked the Korean community and worried many market owners. The Korean Grocers Association offered a reward.

Police made their first arrest two and a half weeks after the crime.

Five men have been charged, and trial is set for March 18.

Eric K. Vance, 31, who police accused of being the gunman, will stand trial on charges of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery. At the same time, Gabriel Apilando, 30; Sheldon W. Barques, 31; and brothers James K. Hoapili, 28, and Albert R. Hoapili Jr., 33, will stand trial on charges of first-degree robbery.

On Jan. 7, attorneys for the defendants will try to suppress statements two of them had made about the crime, said city prosecuting attorney Lori Wada.

She said Apilando and Vance both gave statements about each other as well as themselves.

Wada said if the defendants win the motion and the statements are suppressed, she will appeal the decision. "I would be surprised if that happens," she said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.