He just seemed to me, kind of angry
Within 48 hours on Hawaii's Big Island, three men were found dead under violent circumstances — strangled, stabbed, discovered in fields and ponds — before a 36-year-old named Jacob Baker surrendered to authorities Thursday evening. The killings arrived with a speed that unsettled a community unaccustomed to such violence, drawing federal and state agencies into a sweeping manhunt. What lingers now, even after the arrest, are the deeper questions: how Baker was identified, whether the victims were connected, and what warning signs — including denied restraining orders and reported threats — the legal system was unable to act upon in time.
- Three men were killed across the Big Island in just two days, their bodies discovered in fields and water, each death more alarming than the last.
- Law enforcement issued a rare public warning that the suspect was armed and extremely dangerous, sending fear through a community where such violence is deeply unusual.
- The FBI, U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security, and state agencies all joined the search, deploying what officials called significant resources to locate one man.
- Days before the killings, two women had sought restraining orders against Baker, alleging threats of violence at a farm property — requests a judge denied for lack of sufficient evidence.
- Baker surrendered Thursday evening without incident, but investigators have yet to explain how he was identified, what connected the victims, or what drove the violence.
The manhunt ended Thursday evening when Jacob Baker, 36, of Pahoa, walked into custody. By then, three men were already dead — killed within a span of 48 hours across Hawaii's Big Island.
The bodies had appeared in quick succession. Robert Shine, 69, was found partially submerged in a cement pond, strangled. The following day, a 79-year-old man was discovered roughly 400 feet away. That same evening, about 19 miles distant, police found John Carse, 69, dead from sharp force trauma. Three deaths. Two days. One suspect.
The pace of it rattled the community. Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahuna spoke carefully at a Wednesday news conference about the grief and fear such violence brings. Federal and state agencies — the FBI, U.S. Marshals, Homeland Security, state sheriffs — all joined the search for Baker, whom authorities had publicly warned was armed and extremely dangerous.
Before the bodies were found, there had been warning signs. Two women had sought temporary restraining orders against Baker, alleging he had threatened and harassed them at a farm property — one claiming he had threatened to kill several women staying there. A judge denied both requests, finding insufficient evidence. A neighbor who knew Baker from his time working on his ex-wife's fruit farm in Puna offered a quieter observation: 'He just seemed to me, kind of angry.'
Baker is now in custody. Investigators have not yet explained how he became a suspect, whether the three victims were connected, or what motivated the killings. The community waits for answers that might make sense of three deaths in two days on an island where such violence is not routine.
The manhunt ended Thursday evening without incident when Jacob Baker, a 36-year-old from Pahoa, walked into custody. For two days, law enforcement across Hawaii's Big Island had been searching for him—a man they'd publicly warned was armed and extremely dangerous. By the time he was arrested, three men were already dead.
The bodies had surfaced in quick succession. On Monday, authorities discovered Robert Shine, 69, partially submerged in a cement pond. An autopsy showed he'd been strangled. The next day, a 79-year-old man was found dead roughly 400 to 500 feet away from Shine's location. That same Tuesday evening, about 19 miles distant, police found John Carse, also 69. An autopsy determined Carse died from sharp force trauma, though toxicology results were still pending. Three separate deaths. Two days. One suspect.
The speed of it all had rattled the community. Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahuna acknowledged the weight of what had happened during a Wednesday news conference, speaking carefully about the fear such violence brings. "These are a tragic series of events," he said, "and our thoughts are with those who are grieving at this time." The department had deployed what officials described as significant resources and personnel to track Baker down. The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, state sheriffs, and Department of Land and Natural Resources officers all joined the search.
What remains unclear is how investigators connected Baker to the killings in the first place. Authorities have not explained the evidence that led them to him, nor have they disclosed whether the three victims knew each other or shared any connection. The motive remains unknown. These are the questions that typically anchor a case like this, and they remain unanswered.
But there was a thread visible before the bodies were found. Days earlier, two women had sought temporary restraining orders against Baker, alleging he had threatened and harassed them at a farm property. One woman claimed in court filings that Baker had threatened to kill several women staying on the property—threats serious enough that some of them left. A judge denied both restraining order requests, ruling there was insufficient evidence of harassment. The legal system had found the threshold not met.
Stephen Shaffer, a local resident, knew Baker's history on the property. Baker had lived on his ex-wife's land in Puna, where she cultivated dozens of varieties of fruit. He'd worked there, climbing coconut trees for her. But something had fractured between them. The ex-wife eventually sought her own restraining order because she felt threatened. "He just seemed to me, kind of angry," Shaffer told the Associated Press, offering the kind of small, ordinary observation that in hindsight carries weight. A man who seemed angry. A man who'd made threats. A man who, within days, would be arrested in connection with three deaths.
Baker is now in custody. The investigation continues, and the community waits for the answers that might explain how three men came to die in the span of 48 hours on an island where such violence is not routine.
Citas Notables
These are a tragic series of events and our thoughts are with those who are grieving at this time. The Hawaii Police Department understands the fear and concerns incidents like this bring to our community.— Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahuna
He just seemed to me, kind of angry.— Stephen Shaffer, local resident, on Baker
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
How did police identify Baker as their suspect so quickly? The source doesn't say.
That's the gap everyone's noticing. They knew to look for him, but the reporting doesn't explain why. Maybe he was seen, maybe someone called it in—but that detail hasn't been released.
And the three victims—do we know if they were connected to each other or to Baker?
No. That's another open question. They could have been random, or there could be a thread we don't see yet. The silence on motive is striking.
The restraining order requests came just days before. That seems significant.
It does. Two women felt threatened enough to go to court. A judge said there wasn't enough evidence to grant protection. Then, within days, three men are dead. The timing is hard to ignore, even if we don't know the full picture.
What does it tell us that the judge denied the orders?
That the legal standard for restraining orders is high. Anger and threats, apparently, weren't enough. It raises a question about what threshold needs to be crossed before the system intervenes.
And now?
Now Baker is in custody, and investigators are trying to piece together what happened and why. The community is waiting for those answers too.