A 34-year-old man has been charged in connection with the January shooting death of acupuncturist Jon Tokuhara in Waipahu.
Eric H. Thompson is expected to make his initial appearance
Thursday at
Honolulu District Court on charges of second-degree murder and carrying a firearm in commission of a separate felony.
Police arrested Thompson at 6:10 p.m. Monday in Wailupe and released him after he posted
$1 million aggregate bail. He could not be reached for comment.
According to court documents, Thompson’s wife and Tokuhara had an affair in 2021, and Thompson’s wife ended the relationship with Tokuhara that summer after her husband found out.
On Jan. 13, Tokuhara’s mother found her son fatally shot in his clinic, Tokuhara Acupuncture and Healthcare, on Waipahu Depot Street.
A Honolulu medical examiner determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, court documents said. The manner of death was classified as a
homicide.
A patient of Tokuhara introduced Thompson’s wife to the acupuncturist to address back pain and seek treatment to help with fertility.
According to a police affidavit, detectives recovered Tokuhara’s cellphone, which revealed a text conversation between Tokuhara and Thompson’s wife from mid-May to July. In text messages sent through Instagram, Tokuhara and Thompson’s wife discussed their intimate relationship and the fear of Thompson discovering the affair.
The affidavit said it appeared Tokuhara wanted a long-term relationship, while Thompson’s wife did not want to leave her husband. In July the woman told Tokuhara that they had to end their relationship after her husband found out.
Court documents show police recovered video surveillance from businesses in Waipahu and near Thompson’s residence in their investigation. Footage captured a person entering the clinic at about 6:16 p.m. Jan. 12 while carrying a large brown paper bag. Approximately 48 seconds later the person exited the clinic with the paper bag.
Surveillance footage also showed a white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck near the scene shortly before and after the shooting.
A video surveillance camera near Thompson’s home showed
a white Chevrolet Silverado leave his driveway at about 5:20 p.m. Jan. 12 and return at about
6:47 p.m.
The affidavit said Thompson is a registered owner of a white 2014 Chevrolet Silverado.
On Feb. 1 police executed a search warrant at Thompson’s home and recovered his vehicle as well as 12 firearms registered to him. Two additional firearms recovered from the residence are not registered in Hawaii.
Thompson, a University of Hawaii and Kalani High School graduate, founded Island Bath Works, a company that specializes in tub conversion systems for kupuna to help with bathroom accessibility needs, according to the company website.
He and his wife began their relationship while attending Kalani High and married in 2017.
