Kevin Mercado-Nardo Charged With Violent Downtown Honolulu Robbery

A man facing new robbery charges in downtown Honolulu is already looking at a decade in prison for a previous crime.

Kevin Mercado-Nardo, 36, was charged Thursday with second-degree robbery following a violent encounter on Sunday night, Hawaii News Now reported. Police say the suspect struck a man with a blunt weapon around 9:20 p.m. before stealing items and fleeing the scene.

The incident adds a new layer of legal jeopardy for Mercado-Nardo, who was already facing separate offenses in court. If convicted in this latest case, he could face an extended prison term because of his prior criminal history and the age of the victim.

The current charges follow a pattern of criminal activity stretching back over a decade. According to court records cited by Hawaii News Now, Mercado-Nardo was previously indicted alongside John Vea for the robbery of the Keolu Liquor Store on October 7, 2015. Both men pleaded guilty to those charges, and Mercado-Nardo received a 10-year prison sentence for that offense.

More recently, Mercado-Nardo was dealing with the fallout of a burglary at Kaumakapili Church on King Street. He pleaded no contest to those charges on Oct. 2, 2026. While an $11,000 bail bond was posted for that case on May 22, he remains tied to the legal system as he awaits a sentencing date.

The judicial timeline for his existing case is already set. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 20, 2027, where he faces the 10-year prison term related to the church burglary.

Suspect charged in violent downtown Honolulu robbery — Hawaii News Now

The immediate consequence of Sunday’s robbery is a $100,000 bail set by the court. Because the robbery involved a blunt weapon and a victim whose age may trigger enhanced penalties, the prosecution can strongly influence the severity of the potential sentence.

In Hawaii, the distinction between robbery degrees often hinges on the level of force used or the presence of a weapon. By charging the incident as second-degree robbery, authorities are highlighting the physical violence used during the commission of the theft.

The intersection of these three separate legal matters—the 2015 liquor store robbery, the 2026 church burglary, and this recent downtown robbery—complicates the sentencing process. Judges often weigh a defendant’s failure to adhere to previous judicial mandates when determining the length of new sentences.

Mercado-Nardo’s sentencing for the church burglary remains a fixed point in his legal calendar for early next year.