When Brian Smith made a call one night from a business in the Captain Cook area of Hawaii to turn himself in for a murder he had committed, police were confident that they would have him in court and behind bars without too much effort.
When he was arrested but then released by mistake, police in Hawaii were left with some explaining to do. As soon as he was back in custody investigators began to get to the bottom of his motive for killing 42-year-old Thomas Ballesteros Jr.
Preliminary Hearing
Brian Smith, a Honaunau resident, was accused of murder at his preliminary hearing recently. He attended that hearing wearing a hospital gown and sitting in a wheelchair. Police officers from the Hawaii Island Sheriff’s Office flew to Oahu to pick Smith up for his court appearance, on charges of murder and weapon violations.
