Posted on: Tuesday, October 23, 2001

Trial set for Edmonds in 1975 murder

By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer

A 46-year-old Indiana man was ordered yesterday to stand trial Dec. 10 in the 1975 murder of a 13-year-old Kailua girl and the attempted murder of her 13-year-old friend.

Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani ordered that $500,000 bail remain in effect for Delmar Edmonds, accused of killing Dawn "Dede" Bustamante.

Deputy Public Defender Walter Rodby entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of Edmonds during a videotaped arraignment broadcast from O'ahu Community Correctional Center to Nakatani's courtroom in Circuit Court. Edmonds was extradited to Hawai'i last week to face charges in the 26-year-old case.

Edmonds was stationed at the Marine Corps base in Kane'ohe when Bustamante was fatally shot by a man who kidnapped her and another 13-year-old from a Kailua roadside.

A break in the case came last year when a former Marine who had been stationed with Edmonds in Hawai'i contacted authorities to say Edmonds had asked him and others to lie about his whereabouts the night Bustamante was killed, according to court documents.

Bustamante and her friend were forced into a car at gunpoint and taken to an isolated area behind Pali golf course.

Investigators could not charge Edmonds with other alleged crimes, such as sexual assault or kidnapping, because of the statute of limitations for those crimes. Edmonds was indicted in July on a charge of murder in connection with Bustamante's death and attempted murder for allegedly shooting at Bustamante's friend, who escaped and called police.