Suspect in fatal Hawai‘i cockfight shooting pleads not guilty

HONOLULU — A man accused of firing into a large crowd at a Hawai‘i cockfight in a shooting that killed two people pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges Thursday.

At a brief arraignment for Jacob Borge, 23, his attorney, Mark Kawata, entered the pleas on behalf of his client, who appeared via video from a jail where he’s being held without bail.

Borge was indicted on 11 felony charges including murder and attempted murder stemming from the April 15 shooting that wounded three other people at the illegal cockfight in a rural and remote neighborhood outside Honolulu.

Authorities say investigating cockfights, which are popular in Hawai‘i, is difficult in part because they are highly organized events on private property, and their illegal nature and the large amount of money wagered means they often have links to organized crime.

Days after the shooting, considered one of the worst in Hawai‘i history, members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation aimed at strenthening the federal law against cockfighting and dogfighting.

“Most people rightly recognize animal fighting as a settled moral issue, but enforcement has lagged and a vast animal-fighting underworld spawns cruelty and spills out other forms of crime and mayhem in our communities,” Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, said in a statement.

Honolulu police have vowed to step up illegal gambling enforcement.

The Honolulu medical examiner’s office identified those killed as Gary Rabellizsa, 34, and Cathy Rabellizsa, 59.

Borge and a 16-year-old boy turned themselves in to Honolulu police after they were identified as suspects. Police have said petitions were filed against the juvenile for the same charges as Borge.

Borge’s supporters who attended the arraignment declined to comment after the hearing.

He is scheduled to go to trial in June.