Hawaii manhunt ends with arrest of suspect in killings of 3 elderly men, police say

By Alaa Elassar, Amanda Musa, CNN

(CNN) — A manhunt that left a Hawaii community on edge ended Thursday with the arrest of a suspect in the killings of three men at separate locations, police said.

Jacob Daniel Baker, 36, a suspect in the three killings on Hawaii’s Big Island, was arrested “without incident” Thursday – nearly three days after the first body was discovered, the Hawaii Police Department said.

Baker was described as “armed and extremely dangerous” by Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahuna as law enforcement searched for the suspect and details emerged about requests for restraining orders against him in the days leading to the killings.

He was found “concealed within a small cave” in the Kalapana area on the Big Island’s eastern side, after he was spotted hiding in a nearby grassy area and ducking down in a field as passing traffic approached, Mahuna said during a news conference Thursday.

“It was a citizen who saw something, said something and helped bring this manhunt to a safe conclusion,” the chief said, thanking the community for its support.

The suspect had also stolen a car earlier but the vehicle was not with him during his arrest, Mahuna said. Surveillance footage obtained by investigators shows the suspect fleeing from one property to another before police arrived, he added.

Baker was arrested on charges including second-degree murder, burglary and theft, the chief said.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the three killings. Mahuna declined to detail evidence connecting the three men to Baker, but said at a news conference Wednesday: “We are confident that the suspect here is responsible or involved in all three homicides.”

Two of the three victims were Robert Shine and John Carse, both 69-year-old residents of Pāhoa, an area in the Puna district on the island’s eastern side, according to a police news release.

The third victim – a 79-year-old man who also was found dead in the Pāhoa area – has been identified but officials are waiting to notify his family before releasing his name, the news release said.

Several law enforcement agencies assisted police in the search for Baker, including the US Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security.

3 killings in 2 days

Shine was found Monday evening partially submerged in a cement pond at a residence off Railroad Avenue in Pāhoa, according to Hawaii police.

Initially, investigators were uncertain whether the man had suffered a medical emergency or whether it was foul play, Capt. Jeremy Lewis said during a news briefing Wednesday.

An autopsy later revealed he died from strangulation, Hawaii police said in Thursday’s news release.

Just after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, officers found another victim, a 79-year-old man who appeared to have been killed by blunt force trauma, at a home off Papaya Farms Road — just 400 to 500 feet from the other victim’s residence, according to Lewis.

Then, just before 10 p.m. that same evening, officers responding to a welfare check found a third victim, Carse, at a property on Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road, roughly 19 miles from where the other two victims were found, Lewis said.

“An autopsy performed on Carse indicated he had died as a result of sharp force trauma,” the news release said.

No firearm was used in the killings, police said. Mahuna declined to reveal what weapon investigators believe was used or what evidence ties Baker to the deaths.

“We don’t have any connection between the victims, other than the fact that victim number one and number two lived in close proximity to one another,” police said.

It’s unclear exactly when the men were killed, but Mahuna told CNN affiliate KITV “we do believe that the second body that we discovered was probably the first victim.”

Police said they have not determined a motive.

Warnings before the killings

On May 22, days before the bodies were discovered, two women sought temporary restraining orders against Baker, with one alleging he had made threats against her life and the lives of others, according to documents obtained by CNN.

The Hawaii Police Department was “not notified” about the applications for restraining orders, a police spokesperson told CNN Thursday.

The first restraining order petition was filed by the owner of Josanna’s Organic Garden, a tropical organic farm, who alleged in her filing that Baker had threatened her life, the life of a disabled man, and three others living on the property.

The farm is located on Papaya Farms Road, the same road of a home where one of the victims’ bodies was discovered. CNN has sought comment from the owner.

“I don’t feel safe,” she wrote in the petition. “He will enter our property and take items. Threaten us. Says he wants to squat there.”

The second request was filed by a friend of the farm owner, who said she also felt unsafe staying there.

“I came to stay on my friend’s farm only to realize that the women left because this man was threatening to kill them,” she wrote. “He’s been intimidating the owner of the farm and threatening to harm her. EVERYONE LEFT BECAUSE THEY DON’T FEEL SAFE.”

Both restraining order petitions were denied Tuesday — the same day two of the victims were found.

A judge ruled there was “insufficient evidence” in the petition filed by the Josanna’s Organic Garden owner to establish probable cause for harassment under Hawaii law, according to court documents.

Beyond the court filings, neighbors also described Baker acting erratically in the days before the killings. Baker was known to the community and to police prior to the killings, Mahuna said.

“The last call that we have verified involving this suspect was several months ago, so we don’t have any information as far as the reasons why the TRO was filed,” Mahuna told KITV.

Police are following up to determine why the applications for the restraining orders were filed, Mahuna added.

The last report police recevied about Baker was in March, according to Hawaii police.

CNN has reached out to Hawaii police to ask whether officers had previously received calls about Baker and for comment on the restraining order filings.

‘I’m just still really in shock’

A daughter of one of the victims has spoken publicly about her loss.

Shine was a farmer who studied biodynamic farming and Korean natural farming, his daughter Anon Shine told CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now, saying she was left in shock by her father’s death.

Anon Shine was hosting a birthday gathering when she learned of the killings, and she later received a call from a neighbor who had witnessed parts of what unfolded, she said.

“At first I wasn’t sure if it was a joke or it’s just one of those things you don’t feel is possible,” Anon Shine said. “She’s told me the firsthand stories from the other neighbors, and that’s how I found out that it was true.”

“I’m just still really in shock and just going through different waves of emotion and disbelief and sadness, looking at old pictures and just remembering all the good times and just what a light of love he was to so many people,” she told Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said the killings have “deeply impacted” the community and that Thursday’s arrest marks “an important step forward towards justice and healing for everybody.”

Police increased patrol presence in the affected areas as the killings have caused “fear and concern” in the community, according to Mahuna.

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CNN’s Laura Sharman contributed to this report.