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LEILA FUJIMORI / LFUJIMORI@STARADVERTISER.COM
A vigil is held for a woman who was killed at a North Shore home.
Friends and family held a candlelight vigil outside a Pupukea home where 51-year-old Telma Boinville’s body was found at about 3 p.m. Thursday.
Deputy Chief John McCarthy said that the woman’s body was found downstairs in the house, where she was reported to be employed as a house cleaner for the vacation rental.
Police opened a murder investigation. McCarthy said that he had little information on the details of the murder investigation, on how the woman was killed or a motive.
Her daughter was found upstairs tied up, he said. Friends and family said the girl, Makana, is 8 years old.
McCarthy said a man and woman were caught and arrested tonight at the Mililani Walmart on suspicion of auto theft. Police were looking for a stolen pickup in connection with the murder.
The deceased woman’s husband, Kevin Emery, waiting outside the North Shore home, shouted out that they “caught the guys” and, “Mahalo for everybody’s support.”
Kevin Emery said he received a call from a police officer that his wife had been murdered and his daughter was tied up.
Kevin Emery said his wife was severely beaten with a baseball bat and suffocated. Her purse and car keys were stolen. His daughter’s hands and feet were bound and her mouth duct-taped.
The vacation rental tenants found the woman’s body and later heard the girl’s footsteps upstairs.
Emery reflected on the loss of his wife and said: “Precious. You never know what to expect in life. Memories we create will last forever.”
Telma Boinville was a substitute teacher at Sunset Elementary School, and previously at Kahuku Elementary. She helped Brazilian children who spoke Portuguese, he said.
Kevin’s twin brother, Brian, said, “Something very evil happened, but with the support of everybody islandwide, we found the suspect.”
Telma Boinville was a Brazilian native, and her mother-in-law described her as “the most beautiful human being on the North Shore.”
Mother-in-law Kiki Emery said, “She was a very, very special mom with so much love, so much happiness, so much caring.”
She also praised her daughter-in-law for her baking and cooking of Brazilian treats and throwing huge birthday parties for her daughter.
The group at the candlelight vigil chanted, clapped, sang and shouted out Telma’s name after words of tribute were offered.
Many friends in the Brazilian and North Shore community came out when they heard the news.
Erik Alves, 41, who lives in downtown Honolulu, drove out with his wife as soon as they heard the news. He said, “Telma is my wife’s very good friend. I’ve known Telma since 1999. … My wife talked to her this morning. We knew the whole family. It is such an awful thing.”
Kiki Emery said, “Telma had a special love for every single person here. She just had a pure heart of kindness and pure aloha. My son absolutely loved her. They had a special bond… I hope and pray they caught the right people.”
UPDATE: An earlier version of this story reported a different last name for the victim.
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