Hawaii Man Charged With Murder in Brutal Slayings of Three Men on Big Island
Jacob Daniel Baker, the Hawaii man captured last week after a multi-day manhunt, has been formally charged with murder in connection with the deaths of three men on the Big Island, police confirmed Saturday.
The 36-year-old Pāhoa resident faces one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, according to a news release from the Hawaii Police Department. The charges were filed after consultations with the Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Officials said the first-degree murder count applies to the intentional or knowing killing of two or more people, while the three second-degree murder charges correspond to each of the victims.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the killings, which unfolded over a span of two days in the rural Puna District. The case has shaken the close-knit community on the island’s east coast, where violent crime is relatively rare but has drawn increased attention amid a broader push for public safety reforms in rural Hawaii.
Baker’s attorney information was not immediately available Sunday. He is expected to make his initial court appearance Monday at Hilo District Court.
In addition to the murder charges, Baker is charged with burglary, breaking into a vehicle, auto theft and other property-related offenses. Police said his bail on the murder counts is set at no bail, and he will remain in custody even if he posts bail on the lesser charges.
Baker was arrested Thursday in Kalapana after officers spotted him ducking in a field alongside a road. He fled on foot but was later found hiding in a small cave, police said.
The victims have been identified as Robert Shine, 69; John Carse, 69; and a 79-year-old man whose name has not been released pending family notification. Shine was discovered Monday partially submerged in a man-made pond on Papaya Farms Road in Pāhoa after police responded to a disturbance. An autopsy determined he died of strangulation.
The 79-year-old victim was found the following day at another residence on the same road, dead with what police described as “suspicious injuries.” Carse was located about 19 miles away on Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road later that same day; his autopsy showed he died of sharp-force trauma.
The only known connection between the victims so far is that Shine and the unidentified 79-year-old man lived just 400 to 500 feet apart, according to Police Chief Reed K. Mahuna. The investigation remains ongoing, with detectives continuing to examine evidence and interview potential witnesses.
“This is a tragic and complex case that has deeply affected our community,” said Mahuna during a recent press conference. “We are committed to ensuring justice for the victims and their families.”
This article is based on reporting from NBCNews.com and has been updated with additional context.