Kansas man indicted in Kona boat captain stabbing during cruise

A Kailua-Kona grand jury has turned the stabbing aboard the catamaran No Wiki into a serious felony case, deepening alarm for the snorkeling charter crews and harbor businesses that depend on visitors feeling safe on the water. Prosecutors indicted 21-year-old Avery Nissen of Overland Park, Kansas, on attempted second-degree murder and first- and second-degree assault after the April 16 attack that left captain Stanley Lurbiecki, 62, wounded during a cruise off the Kona coast.

The violence unfolded during a private three-hour snorkel tour out of Honokohau Harbor, a place where captains, deckhands and visitors usually expect a routine outing, not an emergency response. Hawaii County police said Kona patrol officers were sent to the harbor around 3:21 p.m. after the vessel returned with both the captain and the suspect still onboard. Other passengers stepped in and restrained Nissen before the boat reached shore, preventing the confrontation from escalating further.

The indictment means prosecutors believe the case is strong enough to move through the court system as an attempted murder case, not just an assault arising from a chaotic onboard incident. In a county economy where boating tours, snorkeling trips and harbor departures are part of the visitor experience, the attack has immediate consequences beyond the courtroom. Captains and crew members who work close to passengers, often in tight quarters and far from shore, are now facing a stark reminder of how quickly a chartered outing can turn into a dangerous scene.

Later reporting identified Lurbiecki as the captain of the No Wiki and said the knife allegedly used was a filet knife belonging to the boat. Nissen’s case is now assigned to the Kona courtroom of Third Circuit Chief Judge Wendy DeWeese, and arraignment and plea were scheduled after the indictment was handed up. The court also ordered a mental examination after Kona District Judge Kimberly Tsuchiya granted a defense motion, with Deputy Public Defender Victoria Andrade-McKeehan making the request and Deputy Prosecutor Madeline Walsh not objecting.

The record also shows that Nissen was not traveling alone. His mother, Kristina Nissen, 55, and his sister, Sydney Nissen, 23, were aboard the chartered outing, and police documents cited in later reporting said both Lurbiecki and deckhand Iaian Cook were told that Nissen is autistic. Lurbiecki reportedly told police that Nissen appeared anxious and was acting strangely before the stabbing, though the motive remains unresolved in the public court record. For Kona’s charter industry, the case now stands as a disturbing example of how one onboard assault can shake confidence in a business built on trust, safety and smooth departures from Honokohau Harbor.