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A 34-year-old man charged in connection with the January shooting death of acupuncturist Jon Tokuhara in Waipahu made his initial appearance at Honolulu District Court Thursday.
Eric H. Thompson stood next to his attorney, David Hayakawa, before Judge Kristine Yoo on a second-degree murder charge in Tokuhara’s death. He was also charged with carrying a firearm in commission of a separate felony.
During the hearing, Yoo granted an oral motion by Honolulu deputy prosecutor Benjamin Rose for Thompson to surrender his passport by Feb. 25 as an additional condition of bail.
Hayakawa said he has possession of the passport, which will be turned in before the deadline.
A preliminary hearing for Thompson is scheduled for March 17. He remains free after posting $1 million aggregate bail.
After the hearing ended, Hayakawa said Thompson will be pleading not guilty in the case. He declined further comment.
Court documents revealed Thompson’s wife and Tokuhara, 47, had an affair in 2021 and that Thompson’s wife ended the relationship with Tokuhara that summer after her husband found out.
Tokuhara’s mother found her son fatally shot in his clinic, Tokuhara Acupuncture and Healthcare, on Waipahu Depot Street on the morning of Jan. 13.
A Honolulu medical examiner determined Tokuhara’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. The manner of death was classified as a homicide.
A police affidavit said 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.
The affidavit said it appeared Tokuhara wanted a long-term relationship, while Thompson’s wife did not want to leave her husband. The woman told Tokuhara in July that they had to end their relationship after her husband found out.
Police recovered video surveillance from nearby businesses in Waipahu and near Thompson’s residence in their investigation.
Footage captured a person entering the clinic at about 6:16 p.m. on Jan. 12 while carrying a 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 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 returned at about 6:47 p.m.
Police executed a search warrant at Thompson’s home on Feb. 1 and recovered his vehicle, a white 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, and 12 firearms registered to him. Two additional firearms recovered from the residence are not registered.
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