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Honolulu police have arrested an 81-year-old man in connection with the death of his 76-year-old wife at an apartment in the Ala Moana area.
Officers responded Thursday to a 911 call at about 11:45 p.m. from a man at 929 Sheridan St. who reported that someone was killed.
When officers arrived at the apartment building, the suspect confessed to killing his wife, said Lt. Deena Thoemmes of the Honolulu Police Department’s Homicide Detail.
Police located the victim with fatal injuries in her apartment on the seventh floor of The Banyan Ala Moana building. The midrise structure has eight floors and is on the mauka end of Sheridan Street.
Further details on the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death were not immediately released.
The victim’s identity also has yet to be released by the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office. An autopsy is expected to be performed to determine the cause of death.
Police arrested the suspect, identified in a police arrest log as Rogelio G. Canilao, at 12:40 a.m. Friday on suspicion of second-degree murder.
According to the victim’s neighbor, the woman worked at the Philippine Consulate General Honolulu for many years.
In a statement Friday, the Philippine Consulate said, “The Philippine Consulate in Honolulu deeply laments reports of the death of one of its employees, a long-time local hire. The Consulate awaits official confirmation and shall continue working with local authorities investigating the case. Out of deference to the family, the Consulate refrains from making any further comment.”
Neighbors were shocked to hear about the woman’s death, describing her as a sweet person.
Fred Paulo, who resides in an eighth-floor apartment of The Banyan Ala Moana, said the victim lived on the seventh floor. “She was a very, very nice woman,” Paulo said.
He noted the woman didn’t work for the past couple of months because of a foot injury. “She had a hard time walking,” he said.
“It’s really sad,” Paulo said of her death.
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