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5 dead, including 3 children, in murder-suicide in Manoa, police say

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Crime scene tape is visible at Waaloa Place in Manoa today.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

Crime scene tape is visible at Waaloa Place in Manoa today.

UPDATE:

Five people, including three children, are dead in an apparent murder-suicide at a Manoa home Sunday morning, according to Honolulu police.

Honolulu Police Department Lt. Deena Thoemmes, head of HPD’s homicide detail, said at an afternoon news conference that the dead included a man and woman, and three children.

All of those killed were stabbed, according to HPD.

Police later said the deceased were the suspect, a 46-year-old man, his 48-year-old wife, and their children, two girls, ages 17 and 10, and a 12-year-old boy.

“The husband is the person who killed his wife and three children,” according to HPD’s preliminary investigation, Thoemmes said.

She added that the deaths are still under investigation, including the motive.

Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan said it does not appear to be a random act.

Logan said he went to the Manoa home to provide moral support to the responding officers, but he said he did not go inside the home where the slayings occurred.

Police said they received an anonymous call about an argument at a home on 3600 block Waaloa Place at 8:30 a.m. but no one responded or met police when officers arrived. Police were called back to the house at 9:15 a.m. when officers discovered the five dead people.

Logan said the 911 caller met officers the second time and that is when officers discovered the bodies.

Police said the killings are the worst mass homicide in Hawaii since the Xerox shooting in 1999 when seven people were killed at a Nimitz Highway business.

4:38 p.m.

During an afternoon press conference, Honolulu police said a preliminary investigation reveals an adult male allegedly stabbed and killed his wife and three children ages 17, 12 and 10, before committing suicide.

Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan said they were pronounced dead at the scene. Today’s five deaths mark the state’s worst mass killing in recent history. The Xerox murders were the worst mass killing in state history when Byran Koji Uyesugi on Nov. 2, 1999, fatally shot seven co-workers, including his supervisor.

Logan said the Manoa killing does not appear to be a random act. The motive is under investigation.

EARLIER COVERAGE

Honolulu police are investigating a homicide at a Manoa residence where multiple individuals were found dead this morning.

According to the Honolulu Police Department, witnesses report there was an argument in the home earlier this morning just before 10 a.m. today. HPD did not reveal the location of the crime scene, but Waaloa Place in Manoa was listed as a “Misc Service Call” in a media log.

HPD confirmed the suspect was among those killed in the home.

Murder investigations have been initiated but HPD did not reveal any further details.

HPD plans to hold a press conference this afternoon. Star-Advertiser will be there to cover it, so check back later for more updates to this story.


This is a breaking news story. A more detailed version will appear in Monday’s edition of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.


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