Suspect in fatal stabbing freed without being charged

The owner of a Kailua tattoo parlor was arrested but released Tuesday without being charged in the stabbing death of a 24-year-old man after an altercation Monday in his shop.

The victim allegedly assaulted the suspect, 43-year-old Aloha Tattoo Co. owner Timothy W. Goodrich, who was arrested Monday night on suspicion of second-­degree murder. Prosecutors declined Tuesday night to file any charges against Goodrich in the stabbing, and he was freed.

Police said prosecutors declined to pursue the case.

The name of the victim was not released pending notification of next of kin, according to the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office.

According to police, the victim and another man entered the shop at 318 Kuulei Road at about 5:30 p.m. Monday, telling Goodrich that he wanted to get some work done on his arm. Goodrich said he looked away and was punched in the head, said Sgt. Chris Kim of Honolulu CrimeStoppers.

A struggle ensued between the two before Goodrich brandished a knife and allegedly stabbed the man multiple times in the upper body. The victim and the man who was with him fled in a vehicle, according to police.

The victim was found without a pulse in the vehicle, parked on the side of Uluniu Street. Emergency Medical Services transported him in critical condition to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The man who was with the victim has not been located.

After interviewing witnesses who were inside the shop at the time of the stabbing, police arrested Goodrich at about 9 p.m.

There were bloodstains on the sidewalk fronting the entrance to Aloha Tattoo on Tuesday, when neighboring business owners described Goodrich as a nice man.

“Tim is a good guy,” said Chong Han, owner of of Abe Cleaners, adding he believed Goodrich acted in self-­defense. “Everybody like him in this area.”

Anita Rhee, owner of Mama’Nita Scones, next to Aloha Tattoo, described Goodrich as a nice person who regularly buys scones and coffee for his wife and himself. “He has a good heart. He helps people.”

Rhee said she shared a box of scones Tuesday with Aloha Tattoo employees, who she said told her “it was self-defense.”

“That was my response, it was probably self-defense. Who knows?” she said. “Hopefully, we’ll find out. I really feel for the owner and the family, whether it’s self-defense or not.”

She said Goodrich has children, the youngest about 4 or 5, as well as stepchildren.

Resident Lori Tomchak said the tattoo shop is “the strongest business around here,” unlike other businesses that have left or shut down. “They’ve always been OK neighbors. It’s sad to have these things happen, but we’re not the murder capital of Oahu.”