Jacob Daniel Baker, 36, was arrested Thursday afternoon on Hawaii's Big Island after a manhunt following the deaths of three elderly men in the area [1, 2]. Authorities described Baker as armed and extremely dangerous during the search and said he was found hiding in a small cave where he was taken into custody without incident [1, 3, 2].
The victims were identified as Robert Shine, 69; an unnamed 79-year-old man; and John Carse, 69 [1, 3, 2]. Shine’s body was found Monday evening partially submerged in a cement pond. The autopsy revealed he died from strangulation [3, 2]. The 79-year-old man was discovered Tuesday afternoon about 400 to 500 feet from Shine’s location, though officials have not released his cause of death [3, 2]. Carse was found Tuesday evening roughly 19 miles from the other two victims. Authorities said he died from sharp force trauma [1, 3, 2].
Two women had sought restraining orders against Baker days before the killings, accusing him of threats and harassment. A judge denied the requests due to insufficient evidence. Police said they were unaware of these petitions before the investigation into the homicides began [1, 3, 2]. Local resident Stephen Shaffer said Baker lived on his ex-wife’s farm in Puna and described him as "kind of angry" following a falling out that led to the restraining order attempts [3, 2].
Baker has a history of minor legal infractions, but no attorney was listed in the latest reports [1]. Authorities have not publicly disclosed any motive or evidence linking him to the killings [1, 3, 2].
Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahuna thanked the public for their support, saying, "First and foremost, I want to thank our community. It was a citizen that saw something, said something and helped bring this manhunt to a safe conclusion." He added, "These are a tragic series of events and our thoughts are with those who are grieving at this time" [1, 3].
