Overview
- Police arrested 36-year-old Jacob Daniel Baker after witnesses and surveillance placed him in the Kaimu/Kalapana area and officers found him concealed in a small cave, and he was taken into custody without incident on Thursday.
- Three elderly men were discovered dead in Puna within about 48 hours, with two victims aged 69 and a third aged 79 found roughly 19 miles from the first two homes.
- Autopsy results released by police indicate the causes of death differed: Robert Shine was strangled, John Carse died of sharp-force trauma, and the remaining victim suffered blunt-force injuries.
- Authorities say they are confident the suspect is involved in all three killings but have not publicly detailed the evidence linking him to each scene, and investigators used significant state and federal resources during the search.
- Days before the deaths two women sought temporary restraining orders against Baker that were denied, and residents say Puna’s remote roads and dispersed settlements made policing difficult and heightened community fear.