Posted on: Thursday, January 6, 2005

Man charged in Makiki shooting

By Peter Boylan and Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 32-year-old Waimanalo man was charged yesterday afternoon in connection with the Dec. 22 shooting death of a Makiki man.

Donny Hiramoto was charged with one count of second-degree murder and two firearms violations in the death of 71-year-old Robert E. Lee. Hiramoto was being held last night in a police cellblock in lieu of $175,000 bail.

Hiramoto is a friend of one of Lee's former tenants, police said yesterday.

Police said no murder weapon has been recovered but that Leewas killed with a small-caliber handgun.

Police recovered nearly $2,000 and what appeared to be gambling records at the scene.

Police said Lee, a retired accountant, ran a sports book operation out of the open-air garage of his apartment building at 1555 Pensacola Street. However, they do not believe the shooting is related to gambling.

Police said that because of Lee's gambling activities and his outgoing demeanor, his list of friends and acquaintances is wide and varied, making it hard to get a clear idea of who might have wanted to kill him or why.

Reached at her home yesterday, Lee's wife declined to comment on police statements about her husband's gambling.

Lee was shot once in the head at about 8:10 p.m. Dec. 22 in the garage area of the building. He was found lying next to a pickup truck. He was taken to The Queen's Medical Center, where he died.

About a month before he was killed, Lee was robbed and filed a report with police, police said. A week before he died, Lee installed a closed-circuit surveillance system in his garage, neighbors said. Police said the robbery and his slaying do not appear to be connected.