The 46-year-old bicyclist who was beaten at a Wai'anae parking lot did not suffer fatal injuries, but died from a heart attack caused by the assault, a city deputy prosecutor disclosed yesterday.

City Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha said Roger Haudenshild was kicked and punched even after he fell to the ground, suffering fractured teeth, cuts all over his face, a right black eye and injuries to the back of his head.

She said the beating causing the cardiac arrest is sufficient for an indictment by the O'ahu grand jury yesterday charging three Wai'anae men with murdering Haudenshild Sept. 1.

At least one attorney for the three men said yesterday the disclosure may complicate the case for the prosecution.

"I think it will help (the defense) because if the cause of death is something other than the beating, that might leave room for an acquittal" of the murder charge, said Rodney Ching, lawyer for Lugavai Momoe. "How much the beating contributed to it and what role, if any, my guy played in it all remains to be seen."

He said the prosecution must show a causal connection between the alleged beating and heart attack, including which came first.

Kealoha, however, said her office did extensive research and found court cases to support the charges.

"I'm confident that the murder charges are correct," she said. "I think it's going to stick."

The three indicted yesterday are Momoe, 32; Julius F. Mitchell, 35, and Dillion K.A. Lepolo, 22. They each face second-degree murder charges, which carry a mandatory life term with parole.

Lawyers for Mitchell and Lepolo could not be reached for comment.

The three are accused of brutally beating Haudenshild, who earlier was riding a bicycle when he got into a fight with Lepolo on Farrington Highway near Old Government Road.

Lepolo is accused of saying before he left that he would get his friends and "kill" Haudenshild.

Kealoha said Lepolo was with his girlfriend and her daughter, but dropped off the girl and returned to the parking lot of Wai'anae Market with Mitchell and Momoe.

The girlfriend was with the three defendants, but did not participate in the beating, Kealoha said.

Kealoha told Circuit Judge Derrick Chan that Haudenshild died from a heart attack that was the result of the assault.

Before they left the scene, at least two of the three defendants threatened bystanders, Kealoha said.

Police said the threats were to keep quiet or they would be killed.

The three were being held on $100,000 bail each, but Chan granted Kealoha's request to increase the amount. She said the three pose a danger to the public.

"The community feels intimidated by these individuals," Kealoha said.

The judge set bail at $1 million for Mitchell. Kealoha said Mitchell has a felony criminal record in state courts and was on federal supervisory release for a drug case.

Chan set bail at $500,000 each for Momoe and Lepolo.

The indictment sends the case to trial.

The three will be arraigned later, at which time they are each expected to plead not guilty and get a trial date.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.