Stabbing victim had big heart for foster kids

Police are investigating the killing of a foster mother Saturday at Sherwood Forest in Waimanalo Bay Beach Park.

Lt. Walter Calistro of the Honolulu Police Department’s homicide detail said officers were called to the caretaker’s house about 8 a.m. Saturday and found a woman with stab wounds.

The woman died at the scene, and a male was arrested for investigation of second-degree murder, Calistro said.

He would not describe the relationship between the victim and the suspect. He did not give a motive for the killing.

He said officers detained the suspect at the scene without incident.

Relatives identified the victim as Jolyn Kipapa, in her 50s, a longtime foster mother, and said the suspect was Kipapa’s 16-year-old foster son.

A man who answered the phone at Kipapa’s house declined to comment.

Samson Kaonohi, who said he is the victim’s uncle, said relatives told him the boy stabbed Kipapa, but he didn’t know why. He said he never met the boy.

"She was a good person," he said. "Easygoing, taking good care of the kids."

Selisa Cockett, Kipapa’s sister-in-law, said the family has lived in the house for about 15 years and that Kipapa’s husband, Kurt, is the park caretaker. She said the Kipapas have their own children and many adopted foster children.

According to a 2003 Hono­lulu Advertiser story, the couple had cared for 14 children — three of their own, eight of whom were adopted, and three from the foster program.

"My life revolves around kids," Kipapa told the Advertiser at the time. "Anyone who doesn’t want their kids, give them to me."

A 2003 Honolulu Star-Bulletin story said the Kipapas cared for more than 20 foster children in 11 years.

Their introduction to foster parenting began when Jolyn Kipapa’s former Castle High School classmate asked Kipapa to baby-sit her five children. The friend was addicted to crystal methamphetamine and never returned to pick up the children, according to the Star-Bulletin story.

When the children were in danger of being placed into separate foster homes, the couple agreed to be their foster parents and eventually adopted all five children.

"I always loved kids," Jolyn Kipapa told the paper. "God gives everyone a calling. I guess this is my calling."

She told the paper that she would take every foster child home with her if she could.

At the beach park Saturday, family friend Andrew Jamila said Jolyn Kipapa had four or five biological children, but loved her foster children just as much.

"Every child had the same amount of love," he said. "She wouldn’t want this to hurt all the work that they’ve done to help orphaned children."

­He said Kipapa would tell him that she had biological children and "the rest are all blessings."