Jury convicts man, 19, in Big Island slayings

By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

HILO, Hawai'i — A Big Island jury deliberated for less than four hours yesterday before convicting admitted killer John McGovern of first-degree murder for the fatal shootings of two Puna men last year.

MCGOVERN

McGovern admitted to shooting Wesley Matheson, 19, and Cassidy Toole, 20, in the head May 6, 2002, saying he had heard rumors the pair threatened him after a drug deal did not work out as planned.

Deputy Prosecutor Jack Matsukawa portrayed the case as a premeditated murder-robbery, with McGovern and accomplice Kyle Zengy Thurston Hill planning to kill the two victims to get marijuana and other drugs.

McGovern showed no emotion as the verdict was read, pursing his lower lip at one point, but otherwise remaining expressionless. After the verdict, Matsukawa told reporters that the last two murder cases he handled involved marijuana use or cultivation.

"What people say, that it's not dangerous, that's a real fallacy, because whenever you get money and something illegal, there is a possibility somebody will get killed over it," Matsukawa said.

Hill pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder last year in a plea agreement that required him to testify against McGovern.

Hill testified during the trial that he and McGovern planned to rob Matheson and Toole to get a drug called AMT. They decided to kill both men so the victims wouldn't come after them after the robbery, Hill testified.

AMT, or alpha-methylated tryptamine, is a psychedelic drug with effects similar to Ecstasy.

Hill said he shot Matheson in the head with a single-shot .22-caliber rifle that McGovern had borrowed. He then reloaded the rifle and gave it to McGovern, who shot Toole in the head. Hill then shot Toole a second time, and McGovern shot Matheson.

Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 935-3916.