HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The man suspected of being the getaway driver in the robbery and fatal shooting of a Korean tourist pleaded not guilty to charges in the case.
Stefen Camacho appeared Thursday in the Superior Court of Guam to answer to charges of complicity to commit aggravated murder and robbery with special allegations of a vulnerable victim enhancement.
On behalf of Camacho, attorney Renita Taimanao-Munoz from the Public Defender Service Corp. recorded a plea of not guilty to the charges, waived Camacho’s right to a speedy trial, requested a jury trial of 12 and requested all discovery from the Office of the Attorney General of Guam.
Magistrate Judge Benjamin Sison Jr. said the case will be assigned to Judge John Terlaje, who will schedule the next court date.
Complaint
On Jan. 4, 60-year-old Hea Jun Hwang was walking with his wife from the TaoTao Tasi dinner show at The Beach Restaurant & Bar in Tumon when they were approached by a vehicle with two men inside. The man who had been sitting in the passenger seat then “presented a pistol and demanded (the woman’s) purse,” court documents state.
A struggle ensued, during which Hwang was shot and fell to the ground. The suspects then sped off in the vehicle with a Lacoste purse that contained a wallet and bank cards. Hwang was taken to the hospital, where he died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen caused by a 9 mm bullet.
Police subsequently launched an investigation that involved obtaining surveillance footage from businesses in the area and identifying the vehicle and a portion of the license plate number. Additionally, a tip helped investigators track down Camacho, who was known to drive the vehicle, and Keoki Junior Santos, both of whom were from Yona, the complaint stated.
Camacho was eventually taken into custody on Jan. 9. He allegedly stated he and Santos went to Tumon to “try to snatch someone’s purse” to recoup a $100 gambling loss.
Santos was found later and took his own life as he was being approached by officers in Yona, according to the complaint.
Camacho currently is confined at the Department of Corrections on $1 million cash bail and, if convicted, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 77 years.
Stefen Camacho appears via Zoom from the Department of Corrections at his arraignment hearing on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in the Superior Court of Guam.
