Hawaii Man Charged with Murder for Big Island Killings
A man from Hawaii, Jacob Daniel Baker, 36, faces murder charges following a manhunt. Police charged Baker with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder. The charges relate to the deaths of three men on the Big Island, as detailed in a statement by the Hawaii Police Department.
The first-degree murder charge involves the intentional or knowing killing of two or more people. The second-degree murder charges pertain to the three deceased victims. These charges were determined after discussions with the Hawaii County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
Authorities have not released any information about a motive for the killings. Baker was scheduled to have his initial court appearance in Hilo District Court on Monday. No attorney information for him was available at the time of the news release.
In addition to murder, Baker faces charges of burglary, auto theft, breaking into a car, and other related offenses. Police confirmed that Baker’s bail is set at no bail for the murder charges, rendering him ineligible for release even if he posts bail for the property crimes.
Baker, a resident of Pāhoa, was apprehended last Thursday in Kalapana after several days of searching. His arrest is linked to three killings in the Puna District, a rural region on the island’s east coast. Witnesses saw him hiding in a field as traffic went by, leading to a chase that ended with his capture in a small cave.
The victims were Robert Shine, 69; John Carse, 69; and an unnamed 79-year-old man pending family notification.
Shine was discovered by officers responding to a disturbance call on Papaya Farms Road in Pāhoa on Monday. Authorities found him partially submerged in a pond. An autopsy revealed he died from strangulation.
The second victim, the 79-year-old man, was found the following day at another residence on the same road. He was dead with suspicious injuries. John Carse was found later that day, 19 miles away on Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road. An autopsy indicated he died from sharp-force trauma.
The only connection between the victims was that Shine and the unidentified man resided just 400 to 500 feet apart. This information was provided by Hawaii Police Chief Reed K. Mahuna during a news briefing. The investigation into these killings is ongoing.