A man from Hawaii, Jacob Daniel Baker, has been charged with murder after a days-long manhunt, according to police. The Hawaii Police Department announced the charges on Saturday, following Baker’s arrest earlier in the week.
Charges and Arrest Details
Baker, 36, faces one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder. The first-degree charge is for “intentionally or knowingly killing two or more people,” as stated by the police in their news release. Consultation with the Hawaii County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney led to these charges.
Authorities have not revealed any motive behind the killings. Attorney information for Baker is currently unavailable. He is set for an initial court appearance at Hilo District Court on Monday.
Additional charges against Baker include burglary, car theft, and other offenses. His bail for the murder charges is set at no bail, making him ineligible for release. Baker, living in Pāhoa, was apprehended in Kalapana. Police had been searching for him in connection with three murders in the Puna District on the island’s east coast.
Baker was reportedly seen hiding in a field before being discovered in a small cave.
Details of the Victims
The victims have been identified as Robert Shine and John Carse, both 69, and an unnamed 79-year-old man. Family notification is pending for the 79-year-old’s name release. Shine was discovered partially submerged in a man-made pond at a residence on Papaya Farms Road in Pāhoa. An autopsy confirmed he died from strangulation.
The 79-year-old was found dead inside another residence on Papaya Farms Road, with what police referred to as “suspicious injuries.” Carse was located 19 miles away on the same day, on Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road. His autopsy indicated death from sharp-force trauma.
The only known link between the victims is that Shine and the unidentified man lived within 400 to 500 feet of each other, said Hawaii Police Chief Reed K. Mahuna at a news conference. The investigation into these killings continues.