Kauai police arrest homicide suspect after ocean chase off Kapaa

Kauai police ended a more than two-day manhunt Monday by arresting William “Billy” Sinclair, 51, of Kilauea, in rough waters offshore behind the Kapaa Public Library after a search that sent Waipouli and Kapaa residents into shelter-in-place orders. Officers surrounded Sinclair by boat and Jet Ski, watched him with a drone overhead and sent a yellow float device before taking him into custody at 9:55 a.m.

The search began before dawn Saturday, June 6, when officers responded at about 12:50 a.m. to a suspicious death in Hanalei. Police later said Sinclair was wanted in connection with that homicide and a separate shooting incident in Kilauea a few hours later, turning the case into an islandwide public-safety response that moved quickly from the North Shore to the eastern side of the island.

As the manhunt widened, police said Sinclair was last seen riding a black, low-rider Harley-Davidson with Hawaii license plate 596-XPC. He was described as wearing a black leather vest with blue lettering, a blue-and-black face covering and carrying a brown-and-black backpack. Police said he had likely ditched the motorcycle and was on foot in the Waipouli-Kapaa business area, prompting officers to tell residents and visitors not to approach him and to shelter in place.

Police also warned that anyone who helped Sinclair avoid arrest could face a hindering prosecution in the first degree charge, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. The warning put a legal risk on anyone tempted to hide, move or otherwise assist him while officers searched businesses, streets and shoreline areas around Kapaa.

Kauai Now reported that police said a financial dispute was the reason Sinclair allegedly killed a 37-year-old man in Hanalei. The victim was identified by a cousin on Facebook as Tito Reyes. Police have said Sinclair remained tied to both the Hanalei homicide and the Kilauea shooting as the investigation continues, but Monday’s arrest removed the immediate threat that had kept neighbors and businesses in the area on alert.