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Monk Seal beheaded for ‘scientific interest’
By Cynthia Kaneshiro - The Garden Island
A homeless man accused of beheading a Hawaiian monk seal at Pila‘a Beach did not say a word during or after his appearance in district court yesterday.
Through a request made by deputy public defender Dena Renti Cruz, Justin Freemon, 24, will stand before Fifth Circuit Chief Judge George Masuoka on Monday, when the judge is expected to set a trial date.
Freemon, who was released on $500 bail, faces a misdemeanor charge for allegedly violating the state’s Endangered Species Act, which carries a maximum penalty of up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
In court papers, Freemon, who lived on Pila‘a Beach, told state Department of Land and Natural Resources investigators he knew Hawaiian monk seals were endangered, though he claimed the seal had been dead for a week before he cut off its head with a kitchen knife for “scientific interest.”
DLNR official Clifford Inn said investigators were still trying to determine if the 7-foot female seal was dead or alive before it was beheaded.
The body was found on May 1.
Freemon told the investigators he buried the head and was waiting for the flesh to decompose so he could study the skull.
Court records state that a witness claimed Freemon said, “I did something stupid, I cut off the monk seal’s head and buried it by my campsite where I use the bathroom.”
The witness also alleged that Freemon said the seal was a “sacred creature” and perhaps one day he would sell the skull to a museum or collector for money to pass on to his child.
Court papers also state that when confronted, Freemon led investigators to where the head was buried.
Freemon was born in California and has been in the state for four years, court papers state.
Through a request made by deputy public defender Dena Renti Cruz, Justin Freemon, 24, will stand before Fifth Circuit Chief Judge George Masuoka on Monday, when the judge is expected to set a trial date.
Freemon, who was released on $500 bail, faces a misdemeanor charge for allegedly violating the state’s Endangered Species Act, which carries a maximum penalty of up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
In court papers, Freemon, who lived on Pila‘a Beach, told state Department of Land and Natural Resources investigators he knew Hawaiian monk seals were endangered, though he claimed the seal had been dead for a week before he cut off its head with a kitchen knife for “scientific interest.”
DLNR official Clifford Inn said investigators were still trying to determine if the 7-foot female seal was dead or alive before it was beheaded.
The body was found on May 1.
Freemon told the investigators he buried the head and was waiting for the flesh to decompose so he could study the skull.
Court records state that a witness claimed Freemon said, “I did something stupid, I cut off the monk seal’s head and buried it by my campsite where I use the bathroom.”
The witness also alleged that Freemon said the seal was a “sacred creature” and perhaps one day he would sell the skull to a museum or collector for money to pass on to his child.
Court papers also state that when confronted, Freemon led investigators to where the head was buried.
Freemon was born in California and has been in the state for four years, court papers state.
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