Slaying in Kalihi is Oahu's 13th in '07
Stab wounds and cuts were found on both victim and suspect; neighbors are stunned
STORY SUMMARY »
A 63-year-old Kalihi woman was found stabbed to death in a bloody Kalihi homicide scene yesterday morning.
After neighbors heard a single, piercing scream, the woman was found dead at 11:25 a.m. Her husband, 62, was identified as the suspect. He was also found with stab wounds to his chest and was hospitalized in critical condition. He also was seen with cuts on his wrists, which were bandaged before he was hospitalized.
Yesterday's case is the third in about two weeks involving a family member allegedly killing a close relative in Hawaii. It is also the 13th homicide case on Oahu this year, compared with six last year.
Police said there were no signs of a struggle or confrontation before the alleged murder.
Neighbors said they don't recall a history of conflicts with the couple. They also could not positively identify the victim or the husband. No arrests have been made, since the husband is still recovering at the Queen's Medical Center.
Police said they will interview the husband to find out more information on the circumstances, and released few details.
WHOLE STORY »
Police investigators wore booties as they entered the house, and sprayed their shoes with disinfectant as they left.
When asked to describe the scene, homicide Lt. Bill Kato said only, "You really don't want to know."
A possible motive and the precise circumstances remained uncertain yesterday in the stabbing death of 63-year-old woman, found in the bedroom of her Akina Street home.
The victim's husband, identified as a 62-year-old man, remains hospitalized in critical condition, and is the apparent suspect in the 13th homicide case of the year.
This is the third Hawaii incident in about two weeks involving a family member allegedly killing another family member.
About 11:25 yesterday morning, emergency medical officials responded to a call at 1839 Akina St. and found the woman in the bedroom with apparent stab wounds to her upper torso.
The husband was found with wounds to his torso as well, and was transported to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition. The husband was also described to have cuts on his wrists, which were bandaged before he was transported.
"There are knives in the home, but we don't know if they were the weapons yet," said Kato. "We checked with neighbors, and no one heard an argument or a fight or any kind of confrontation at the home prior to the attack."
Kato stopped short of calling the case a result of domestic issues. "Once we get the scene processed, we'll head to Queen's to see how the other victim is doing and we'll have a better idea of what had occurred."
Besides the wounds and blood, there appeared to be no struggle.
And longtime neighbor Juliet Mendoza said she never heard of any conflicts in the household until yesterday morning, when a long scream pierced the neighborhood.
"My cousin looked out the window after we heard the big scream, but there was nobody coming out or going in," Mendoza said.
The murder scene was the talk of the neighborhood later that evening. Neighbors couldn't confirm the identity of the victim or her husband, but expressed shock that a murder that brutal happened in their usually quiet block.
Mendoza said the couple was taking care of their grandchildren. When told of the wife's death, Mendoza's jaw dropped.
"Don't tell me that. I was just talking to her yesterday," she said. "She was right in front of me, washing her old whites, and I told her that her new haircut was very pretty."
