Report No.: 20-083446
Hawaiʻi Island Police have charged 41-year-old Davi Franklin Alvarez Sr., of Hilo, with murder, for the stabbing death of a female acquaintance on Halloween.
The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Noelle Keala Tamiko Buffett, of Hilo.
After conferring with County Prosecutors, at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon (November 2), detectives charged Alvarez with second-degree murder.
Alvarez is being held in lieu of $1 million bail pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Wednesday (November 4) in Hilo District Court.
The charge stems from an incident that occurred on Saturday afternoon (October 31), at the Val Hala Apartment Complex located on Puueo Street in Hilo. Shortly after 1:00 p.m., South Hilo Patrol officers responded to the complex for a report of a female who had been stabbed within her apartment.
Police located the victim’s lifeless body within her apartment’s bedroom. During the course of the investigation, police were able to identify Alvarez as a suspect; witnesses reported to police that he had left the area prior to police arrival.
Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section responded to the scene to continue the investigation.
Extensive area checks were conducted for Alvarez, and at approximately 3:35 p.m., he was located walking on Kapiolani Street in Hilo, where he was arrested without incident.
An autopsy was performed this morning (November 2) and concluded that Buffett died as a result of a stab wound to the chest, and the manner of death was ruled homicide.
Police are asking anyone with information on this incident to contact the Police Department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Detective John Balberde at (808) 961-2386 or email him at John.Balberde@hawaiicounty.gov.Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to any Caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
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