Police have wrapped its second-degree murder investigation into the Jan. 4 death of a 40-year-old Kurtistown woman and forwarded it to the county prosecutor’s office for its review and possible charges.

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Police have wrapped its second-degree murder investigation into the Jan. 4 death of a 40-year-old Kurtistown woman and forwarded it to the county prosecutor’s office for its review and possible charges.

According to a police statement Wednesday, their investigation into the beating death of Leah Bannister has produced five suspects — three adults and two juveniles.

None of the suspects were named in Wednesday’s statement, but police in January said 38-year-old He‘enalu Luta punched Bannister through the driver’s side window of a Nissan SUV at about 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 3, causing her to lose consciousness.

Bannister died the following morning at Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea.

Luta was initially arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault, but was later released from custody without being charged.

The incident, police said, occurred on Kalo ‘Olo‘o Drive in Kawaihae Hawaiian Homes.

Bannister had reportedly been involved in a physical altercation with several other individuals in a home there.

Police say that following the altercation, Bannister entered a Nissan SUV, took the wheel and accelerated toward a girl and a man.

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She then allegedly collided with a
nearby parked vehicle with two children inside.

Bannister then reportedly reversed the SUV a short distance before Luta allegedly approached the driver-side window and punched Bannister.

Luta has no prior convictions for felony offenses or violent crimes in Hawaii, court records indicate.

Bannister was convicted in 2018 of habitual DUI, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years of imprisonment.

A habitual DUI means the offender has two prior convictions for DUI or at least one for habitual DUI in the previous 10 years.

According to records, then-Kona Circuit Judge Robert Kim allowed a deferral of Bannister’s guilty plea on Jan. 5, 2018, and her sentence of five years of probation and a year of incarceration was expunged from her record on Jan. 4, 2023.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Bradley Llanes of the West Hawaii Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 326-4646, ext. 268, or [email protected].

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Those who prefer to anonymity may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.

Email John Burnett at [email protected].