Hilinaikailimakualopali Keeno, 24, faces murder and firearms charges stemming from the Sept. 26 shooting death of Thomas Malone.
HONOLULU, HI — A Honolulu grand jury has indicted a 24-year-old woman on a second-degree murder charge and firearms offenses in connection with the fatal shooting of Thomas Malone in the parking lot of a Target store in Kailua, prosecutors said.
Hilinaikailimakualopali Keeno was indicted Friday, Oct. 2, in the death of Malone, 30, who was shot after an argument involving two groups near the Kailua Fall Festival on Sept. 26. The indictment moves the case into its next stage in Circuit Court and also alleges Keeno is a multiple offender. She is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The shooting happened shortly after 8:30 p.m. in the Target parking lot near the festival. Honolulu police said their preliminary investigation found that two groups had been arguing at the event before the dispute continued into the parking lot. Someone pulled out a firearm, and Malone suffered a fatal gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police initially had difficulty identifying a suspect. Investigators asked people who attended the festival to provide photographs, surveillance video and other recordings, including material that did not appear to show the shooting itself. Detectives said images from elsewhere at the festival or around the Target parking lot could still help establish who was present and what happened before and after the shooting.
Detectives with the Honolulu Police Department’s homicide unit, assisted by its forensic video unit, later identified Keeno as a suspect. Police said officers located and arrested her shortly before 11 p.m. Sept. 28 on suspicion of second-degree murder and firearm offenses. The case was reviewed by the Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney on Sept. 30, and Keeno was initially charged with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony and a place-to-keep firearm offense.
Court records cited in local reports provide additional details about the investigation but also show areas being challenged by the defense. According to a police report described by Aloha State Daily, Keeno’s father brought her to the Kailua Police Station less than an hour after Malone was declared dead. Her father told police she had been involved in the incident and wanted to provide a statement with her attorney present. Police did not interview her that night, according to the report.
The same police filing said another witness later identified Keeno as the person who fired the gun. Her defense attorney has challenged the strength of the evidence outlined in the probable-cause filing. Attorney Andrew Strand said other witnesses who took part in identification procedures did not identify Keeno and questioned whether the witness who later identified her was at the scene when the shooting occurred. The defense has also questioned the lack of firearm or ballistic evidence described in the probable-cause document.
Keeno’s bail had initially been set at $1 million after she was charged. A judge rejected a defense request to reduce that amount before the grand jury indictment. Following the indictment, local reports citing prosecutors said Keeno was being held without bail at the Oahu Community Correctional Center.
Prosecutors said second-degree murder normally carries a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. Because the indictment also alleges Keeno is a multiple offender, prosecutors could seek extended prison terms. If the state meets the legal requirements for an extended term and Keeno is convicted, prosecutors said she could face life without the possibility of parole on the murder count, life imprisonment on the Class A felony and up to 10 years on the Class C felony.
Malone’s death prompted an outpouring from relatives, friends and former teammates. A crowd gathered Friday night at the Kailua parking lot for a vigil. His family remembered him as a former standout athlete who competed in football, soccer and track and field at Kaiser High School. His father urged those attending the vigil not to allow grief to turn into hatred or revenge and called for the truth to emerge through the justice process.
The indictment represents allegations and is not a finding of guilt. Keeno remained in custody as the criminal case proceeded, while the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and the evidence tying her to the shooting remained central issues in the case.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 4, 2026.