A man from Hawaii, Jacob Daniel Baker, 36, has been charged with murder following a dayslong search. He’s accused of the killings of three men on the Big Island, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
Police announced Baker faces one count of first-degree murder, which involves intentionally killing two or more people, and three counts of second-degree murder related to the victims. The charges followed a consultation with the Hawaii County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
Authorities haven’t disclosed a motive. Attorney details for Baker were not available as of Sunday. Baker’s scheduled court appearance is set for Monday in Hilo District Court.
Besides murder, Baker faces charges for burglary, breaking into a car, and auto theft. His bail on these charges does not allow for release on the murder counts.
Baker was arrested in Kalapana after an intensive search. He was linked to three killings in the Puna District on the island’s east coast. Police captured him in a cave after he was seen hiding in a field.
The victims were Robert Shine, 69; John Carse, 69; and a 79-year-old man not publicly named. Shine was found by officers responding to a disturbance at Papaya Farms Road in Pāhoa. He was found in a pond, with an autopsy confirming death by strangulation.
The second victim, a 79-year-old man, was discovered dead with suspicious injuries at another location on Papaya Farms Road. Carse was found 19 miles away on Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road, dead from sharp-force trauma, as reported by the police.
The only link between the victims was the proximity of Shine and the unidentified man’s residences, being just 400 to 500 feet apart. Police Chief Reed K. Mahuna noted this at a news conference. The investigation continues, officials noted.