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Hawaii News

Murder victim’s family seeks justice

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DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM

Michael and Alicia Nam, the parents of Jason Nam, are seeking help in locating his killer on the 10th anniversary of their son’s death. They became emotional talking about their son at a news conference Thursday.

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STAR-ADVERTISER

A police sketch of a suspect in Jason Nam’s killing.

This story has been corrected. See below.

Ten years ago three men wearing black hoods and using red bandannas to hide their faces beat and shot to death a 31-year-old Makiki man who had been washing his car in the parking lot of his Punahou apartment building.

For the family of Jason Nam, the nightmare won’t end until his killers are caught.

Alicia and Michael Nam are seeking closure and justice for their son.

After the brazen daylight shooting, police interviewed friends and relatives of the bodybuilding competitor but said they found no motives.

However, on Thursday — the 10th anniversary of the slaying — Sgt. Kim Buffett, Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman, said, “This was not a random act,” adding that Jason Nam was acquainted with his assailants. “He did know them.”

Police re-issued a Crime Stoppers bulletin Thursday with photos of Nam, descriptions of the suspects and a sketch of the alleged shooter.

“Relationships change over 10 years,” Buffet told reporters. “People have information. We hope someone will come forward.”

“In his circle of friends someone knows something. Someone needs to come forward and give us information on this case.”

Even though the three men, who were described as in their 20s at the time, were wearing bandannas, a witness saw the face of the alleged shooter when his mask slipped, Buffett added. The sketch has been circulated and is also on HPD’s website.

“After 10 years, it seems like it was just yesterday,” said Alicia Nam. “For me it is not easy because everything I see reminds me of him. Hopefully, we can get some kind of closure. Put yourself in our shoes as a parent who just lost a child and you don’t know why. So we need that closure,” she said.

Choking back tears, Michael Nam said, “These punks are still running free, getting away with murder.”

Since the 2006 murder, police had issued three other CrimeStoppers bulletins here and on the mainland.

Alicia Nam said her middle son “could do everything,” adding, “I could depend on him and he would always take charge of things and that is what is really missing in our lives.”

At one point police speculated that one of the suspects called CrimeStoppers with a tip.

Jason Nam, a 1992 Kailua High School graduate, was washing his Lexus sedan in the garage of his apartment building at 1709 Beretania St. at 4 p.m. March 10, 2006, when three men drove up in a stolen black Nissan Maxima, witnesses said.

One of the suspects was carrying a baseball bat.

Another had a handgun.

An argument ensued.

The suspects dragged Nam into a grassy area behind his car across from Central Union Church, where he was shot once in the neck.

Police found the Nissan, which had been burned to erase evidence, the night of the murder in Mililani at Makohilani Street near Keekuhiwa Street. Witnesses saw at least one suspect getting into a dark-colored van leaving the scene of the burning car, police said. The car had been stolen from Kipapa Drive near Mililani High School on March 2, 2006.

The Medical Examiner’s Office said Nam died of neck and chest injuries due to a single gunshot wound to the neck.

Nam had been an assistant manager at Govinda Fresh Juices in Iwilei, where he had worked for about 12 years. He had been contemplating starting a restaurant.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cellphone.

CORRECTION

Jason Nam, the victim of a 2006 homicide, was a graduate of Kailua High School, not Kalani High as reported in a Page A21 story Friday.

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