HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The suspect accused of beating a visitor to death in Waikiki appeared in court on Thursday morning.

Circuit Court Judge Ronald Johnson denied bail for Ishmael Piula Luavasa, 43, who faces a second-degree murder charge.

According to police, Luavasa beat the 50-year-old man without provocation in front of the Waikiki Beachside Hostel on Lemon Road Saturday, Nov. 8, just before 12:30 a.m.

“After the complaining witness was on the ground, it’s alleged that he continued beating him until he lay motionless and then walked away,” Johnson said. “This was a brutal assault, unprovoked, which indicates to the court that the defendant is a significant danger to any other person in the community and a flight risk.”

Johnson said the brutality and nature of his crime woul

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