Supreme Court ruling delays attempted murder case
Sep. 13—Larry Shanks Jr.'s attempted murder jury trial in the June 18, 2020, beating and burning of a then 31-year-old woman found unconscious and half nude in a Kalaeloa military bunker, where she was apparently left for dead, was set to start Thursday. Instead, the case was abruptly dismissed in what may be the first of many more to follow.
Larry Shanks Jr.'s attempted murder jury trial in the June 18, 2020, beating and burning of a then 31-year-old woman found unconscious and half nude in a Kalaeloa military bunker, where she was apparently left for dead, was set to start Thursday. Instead, the case was abruptly dismissed in what may be the first of many more to follow.
Shanks' defense lawyer made an oral motion Thursday to have the case dismissed based on a far-reaching Hawaii Supreme Court ruling made that same day requiring a grand jury indictment in major felony cases, with no allowances for charging by complaint and preliminary hearing.
Attorney Rebecca Lester wrote in her supporting memorandum that Shanks, who was charged by complaint, immediately be set free once the judge dismisses the charges since Shanks has no pending criminal cases.
"Detaining the Defendant after the dismissal of a criminal case violates the Hawaii State Constitution, the United States Constitution, and the United States Bill of Rights, " she wrote.
Circuit Judge Kevin Morikone granted the dismissal without prejudice Thursday, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in State v. Obrero, and ordered Shanks' $1 million bail to be set aside and that he be released from custody.
But an Oahu grand jury convened the next day, Friday, one of two regularly scheduled days grand juries meet, and indicted Shanks on second-degree attempted murder and set his bail at $1 million.
He was served Monday with the grand jury bench warrant at the Oahu Community Correctional Center, so he was not released.
Shanks' arraignment is set for Monday, when the new case will be assigned to a trial judge. It is unknown whether it will be the same judge and how much of a delay this could be in getting to trial.
Shanks, 32 at the time of his 2020 arrest, is accused of beating and burning Ramona Castro, found 8 :30 a.m. June 19 by a woman driving by "the largest bunker by the Barbers Point Golf Course near the riding stable." She found Castro with black eyes, severely beaten and burned, court charging documents said.
Police said Castro was found unconscious and bleeding, wearing only biker shorts, on the ground of an above-ground bunker on Lamalle Street. Officers also found a yellow power extension cord with knots, a large pool of blood, ashes and a burned chair.
A Queen's Medical Center emergency room doctor said she was in critical condition with two black eyes, cuts to the right temple and right scalp area and possible facial fractures, was bleeding from the ear and possibly had blood or ash in her airway and had burns to her feet and hand.
A trauma surgeon found Castro had multiple facial and skull fractures, significant brain trauma and bleeding in the brain.
The night of June 18, Jag Stephens, a friend of Shanks, reported to police that he witnessed a murder.
Stephens told police he, Shanks and Castro went to an abandoned bunker in Kalaeloa, where Shanks ignited a large fire, burned Castro and murdered her, the court document said. The officer could not find the bunker, nor could he find a report of a fire in the area.
A police Crime Reduction Unit found Stephens and Shanks the night of June 19, 2020, in Ewa Beach.
Stephens told a detective that at about 3 p.m. June 18, he met Shanks at an Ewa Beach 7-Eleven parking lot and that Shanks had an unknown woman (Castro ) in his car. The two got into his GMC Envoy, and Shanks asked Castro several times whether she wanted to "f—."
Stephens said she did not answer, but "did flip her hair towards him in what appeared to be a flirtatious move, " the detective wrote.
They went to the bunker, and the pair appeared ready to have sex, Stephens said. Shanks asked whether she liked to be tied up, but she did not answer, he said. Shanks tied her ankles together with a yellow extension cord.
Stephens waited at the next bunker, could hear an altercation and Castro saying "no " several times.
He walked back and found her ankles tied and one of her wrists tied to her ankles. She was topless and kept saying "no."
Stephens untied her wrist because it was changing color, and went to his vehicle to find something to cut the cord.
When he went back, he heard a loud crash, and Shanks ran out as black smoke was emanating from inside the bunker.
