Hawaii man found guilty of murder in death of 23-month-old boy tossed from freeway overpass

Hawaii man found guilty in toddler’s freeway death

HONOLULU — A Honolulu man has been convicted in the death of a 23-month-old boy who was tossed from a freeway overpass two years ago.

Circuit Judge Dexter Del Rosario on Thursday found 24-year-old Matthew Higa guilty of second-degree murder.

Cyrus Belt was thrown from a 30-foot high Hawaii freeway overpass and run over by a delivery truck in January 2008. Prosecutors say Higa was high on crystal methamphetamine when he threw the toddler.

Defense attorney Randall Oyama has argued that the boy was already dead when he was thrown. Oyama has suggested a boyfriend of the boy’s mother, Nancy Chanco, was responsible for the death.

Higa did not testify during the trial.