Posted on: Tuesday, July 31, 2001

Near miss may have led to fatal beating

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

Homicide detectives say they think a confrontation over a bicycle accident led to the fatal beating of 36-year-old William Van Winkle, who was found dead on a Wai'anae basketball court July 14.

Honolulu police believe a group of five people fatally beat Van Winkle after he almost ran into one of them on his bicycle, said Homicide Lt. Bill Kato.

One suspect was arrested Saturday in Wai'anae and charged yesterday, police said. Branden Adkins, 18, was charged with second-degree murder and was being held on $100,000 bail.

Van Winkle was riding his bicycle in the dark near the Wai'anae District Park basketball courts when he turned a corner and almost hit one of the people in the group, police said.

"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 assailants kicked and punched Van Winkle and one of them hit him with a plastic flashlight that was found nearby. An autopsy determined Van Winkle died of blunt trauma to the head.

Van Winkle was clad only in a T-shirt when he was found by a jogger. Police believe the assailants 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.