Posted at 11:33 a.m., Tuesday, July 31, 2001

Two more arrests made in death of bicyclist

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

Police yesterday arrested two more people in connection with the fatal beating of 36-year-old William Van Winkle earlier this month at Wai'anae District Park.

They said they expect to make four more arrests in the killing.

An 18-year-old man and 15-year-old boy, both from Wai'anae, were arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.

Police said the man could be charged today, while prosecutors were seeking to petition Family Court to charge the boy as an adult.

On Sunday police charged Branden Adkins, 18, of Wai'anae, with second-degree murder. His bail was set at $100,000. Adkins has no record of criminal convictions.

A jogger found Van Winkle dead on the Wai'anae District Park basketball courts July 14 wearing only a T-shirt. He had been stripped of his black shorts, which were found in a nearby trash can.

Witnesses told police a group of about seven people beat Van Winkle to death after he nearly ran into one of them on his bicycle, said homicide Lt. Bill Kato.

"Some words were exchanged and Van Winkle tried to get out of there," Kato said. "He made it as far as the basketball court, where they caught him and beat him."

Kato said the group may have been drunk at the time. He said they kicked and punched Van Winkle, who was struck with a plastic flashlight found nearby. An autopsy determined Van Winkle had died of a blow to the head.

Police said they believe the killers pulled off Van Winkle's black shorts after having difficulty searching his pockets, Kato said.

Family members said Van Winkle worked as a handyman and had a 4-year-old daughter.