Three men previously charged with murdering a 47-year-old Wai'anae man following a traffic altercation pleaded guilty to first-degree assault yesterday after an autopsy could not conclude that the victim died as a result of the beating.

Julius F. Mitchell, 37, Lugavai L. Momoe, 33, and Dillion K. Lepolo, 24, were arrested and charged in September 2006 following the beating of Roger Haudenshild in the parking lot of a Wai'anae market.

A medical examiner's office report concluded that Haudenshild died of a heart attack. Because he had a pre-existing heart condition and had suffered a heart attack weeks earlier, officials could not conclude that the beating caused the death.

Haudenshild was riding a bicycle when he got into an altercation with a motorist at the Wai'anae McDonald's restaurant. Haudenshild later was beaten in the Wai'anae Market parking lot.

BOY FOUND IN POOL PRONOUNCED DEAD

A young boy died last night after being found in a swimming pool in the Kapalama area.

Emergency medical personnel were called to a home on Hala Drive at 7:42 p.m. The boy had been found floating in a pool, said city emergency services spokesman Bryan Cheplic. The boy was taken to Kuakini Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

NO SIGN OF FOUL PLAY IN VAN DEATH

LiHU'E, Kaua'i — An autopsy of a man whose body was found Wednesday morning in a burned van at the Russian Fort in Waimea did not reveal any injuries that would indicate foul play was involved in his death, Kaua'i police said yesterday.

Police were still seeking to positively identify the man.

The van's owner has not been seen by relatives since before 6 a.m. Wednesday, police said.