HONOLULU — For the residents of Puna, a remote and eclectic area of Hawaii’s Big Island, the killings of three men known for leading a free-spirited, off-the-grid lifestyle became a startling reminder of their struggles as well.
Nearly 24 hours after Jacob Baker’s arrest, residents were struggling to understand what happened and were eager for answers as to why authorities had focused on the 36-year-old as the suspect in the killings of the men who were all in their 70s or 70s.
Baker remained jailed on suspicion of murder, robbery and other charges.
Court records show Baker had frequent run-ins with police for a variety of crimes. People living in Puna told The Associated Press that their concerns about Baker had accelerated in recent days, portraying him as a growing threat.
Baker is accused of involvement in the deaths of three men: a 69-year-old man who was found partially submerged in a cement pond, a 79-year-old man who was found a few hundred feet (meters) away, and a third man, also 69 years old, whose body was found about 19 miles (31 kilometers) away. As of Friday, prosecutors had not yet filed charges.
Police identified the first victim as Robert Shine and the third victim as John Carse. The 79-year-old’s name was awaiting positive identification but friends identified him as Chita Morse.
Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahona said investigators found no connection between the victims, except that two of them lived near each other.
Friends of Shane and Morse say the men moved to Puna because of the tropical lifestyle and off-the-grid community.
Donald Hyatt, a drummer, said Shane enjoyed dancing and swaying to the beat of drum circles, usually on Sunday afternoons.
I last saw Shane Hayate at a party last month. A local rock and roll band was playing and Shane was dancing around.
“He danced as if he loved life,” Hayat recalls. “Bob always had a smile. He was always in good spirits.”
Morse moved from Van Nuys, Calif., 40 years ago “to live off the grid and live somewhere warm and tropical and eat fruit,” said his friend Jesus Sunderland. “For 40 years, he ate only raw food. Since arriving on the island, he has been completely raw, and this was the right environment for him to do that.”
On land rich in volcanic soil on the path to papaya plantations, Morse had what Sunderland called a “fruit forest,” where things like coconuts, avocados and durians grew.
“He would share all the fruit he had,” Sunderland said. “The most wonderful abundance you can imagine.”
While Morse was previously a member of the Sunderland raw food community and moved to Puna to join, Morse has been alone in recent years, Sunderland said.
Sunderland said Shine was a member of the Sunderland municipal council, which was shut down by the county for various code violations.
Janelle Honer, who also grew fruit on Papaya Farms Road, appears to be the one who connected Baker with the men, who often attended dinners and parties on Honer’s property.
Baker was living on Honor’s property in exchange for climbing and trimming coconut trees, said Steven Shaffer, her ex-husband. Business versus accommodation is common in Pune.
Hyatt said Baker left the cabin he was living in on Honor’s property months ago but recently returned demanding “squatters’ rights” and threatening Honor. Hyatt said he urged her to seek a restraining order.
The murders occurred just days after two women requested temporary restraining orders against Baker, saying he threatened and harassed them at the farm. One woman lived there and the other owned it. The judge rejected both requests, saying there was insufficient evidence of harassment.
No attorney was listed for Baker, who has had 20 other cases on the court record over the past two decades, many of them traffic violations. In most of those cases, Baker represented himself.
Honor, who Shafir said was traveling outside the country, could not be reached for comment.
A memorial for the men is scheduled for Saturday next to Honor’s home.
Puna is one of the few places in Hawaii where land is affordable, and the area’s infrastructure has not kept pace with its growth, said Ashley Kirkevich, who represents Puna on the County Council.
Although Pune has a reputation as a quirky borderland, it is also a culturally rich place where people are resilient and depend on each other, she said.
Puna, with its landscape of a mix of lush forests and barren lava fields, also struggles with drugs, poverty and limited resources, said longtime resident Tiffany Edwards-Hunt.
“People have this false impression that they can come to Hawaii to heal,” she said. “Hawaii can be really nice to you or it can chew you up and spit you out.”
Mark White and Richard Valdez played a key role in Baker’s arrest, calling police when their surveillance camera system made a connection to Valdez’s phone and showed Baker at their property on Thursday. Their property was located about a half-mile from Karrs’ home, but they did not know him well.
The videos show Baker, shirtless and barefoot, with a dog walking near the road and getting down on the ground as cars pass, in an apparent attempt to avoid being seen.
“He was dodging traffic, so it was pretty obvious” he was trying to avoid being found, Valdez said.
Authorities arrested Baker a short distance away after finding him in a small cave, police said.
White said he believed Baker was hiding near his property in a small makeshift camping area atop a bluff overlooking the ocean. He said Baker stole couch cushions from a container outside his home and some charcoal, and Baker used coconut tree fronds to cover the site.
Valdez said he had not seen Baker in about two years. At the time, Baker was living next door to them, renting space from his neighbor while trimming coconuts from trees and selling them off the main road in the area, he said. Valdez said he lived next door for about six months.
“He told me he was from Maui and that he had just had a newborn baby and that his girlfriend had left and that he was trying to get back together,” Valdez said. “So he seemed very normal and conscientious, so it’s hard to understand that this happened.”
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Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.