An eclectic, off-grid Hawaii haven has been shaken by the shocking killings of three men, with a suspect caught on surveillance video. Residents of Puna, a remote and eclectic district on Hawaii's Big Island, are grappling with the murders of three men who were drawn to the area for its off-grid, laid-back lifestyle. Nearly 24 hours after Jacob Baker was arrested, residents struggled to understand what happened and sought answers about why authorities zeroed in on the 36-year-old as their suspect. Baker remained jailed on suspicion of murder, burglary, and other charges.
Victims and Suspect
Court records show Baker had repeated run-ins with police for various offenses. People in Puna told the Associated Press that their concern about Baker had accelerated in recent days, portraying him as increasingly threatening. Baker is accused of involvement in the deaths of three men: a 69-year-old found partially submerged in a cement pond, a 79-year-old found a few hundred feet away, and a third man, also 69, whose body was found about 19 miles away. As of Friday, prosecutors had not yet filed charges. Police identified the first victim as Robert Shine and the third as John Carse. The 79-year-old was identified by friends as Chitta Morse, pending positive identification.
Community in Mourning
Friends of Shine and Morse said the men moved to Puna for its off-grid, tropical, and communal lifestyle. Shine enjoyed dancing at drum circles, usually on Sunday afternoons, said drummer Donald Hyatt. Hyatt last saw Shine at a party last month, where Shine was dancing to a local rock-and-roll band. "He was dancing like he loved life," Hyatt recalled. "Bob had a permanent smile. Always in good spirits." Morse moved from Van Nuys, California, 40 years ago to live off-grid and eat fruit, said friend Jezuz Cinderland. "For 40 years he only ate raw food. Since he got to the island he just went completely raw and this was just the right environment for him to do it." On land rich with volcanic soil on Papaya Farms Road, Morse had what Cinderland called a "fruit forest," growing coconut, avocado, and durian. "He would just share all the fruit he had," Cinderland said. "The most fabulous abundance that you can imagine."
Connections and Concerns
Janelle Honer, who also grew fruit on Papaya Farms Road, seems to have connected Baker to the men, who often attended potluck dinners and parties on her property. Baker had been living on Honer's property in exchange for climbing and trimming coconut trees, said her ex-husband, Stephen Shaffer. Trading work for living accommodations is common in Puna. Hyatt said Baker left the cabin he was living in on Honer's property months ago but returned recently claiming "squatter's rights" and threatened Honer. Hyatt urged her to seek a restraining order. The slayings happened just days after two women requested temporary restraining orders against Baker, saying he had threatened and harassed them at a farm. A judge denied both applications, citing insufficient proof of harassment. No attorney was listed for Baker, who had 20 other cases in the past two decades, many traffic infractions. In most cases, Baker represented himself. Honer, who Shaffer said was traveling out of the country, could not be reached for comment. A memorial for the men was planned for Saturday next to Honer's place.
Puna's Challenges
Puna is one of the few places in Hawaii with affordable land, but infrastructure hasn't kept up with growth, said Ashley Kierkiewicz, who represents Puna on the county council. While Puna has a reputation as a quirky frontier, it is also a place rich in culture where people are resilient and lean on each other, she said. Puna, with its mix of lush jungle and barren lava-rock fields, also struggles with drugs, poverty, and limited resources, said longtime resident Tiffany Edwards Hunt. "People have this mistaken impression that they can come to Hawaii and heal," she said. "Hawaii can either really be kind to you or it can chew you up and spit you out."
Surveillance Cameras Aid Capture
Mark Wyatt and Richard Valdez played a key role in Baker's capture, calling police when their surveillance camera system pinged Valdez's phone and showed Baker on their property on Thursday. Their property is about half a mile from Carse's home, but they did not know him well. The videos show Baker, shirtless and barefoot, with a dog walking near a road and getting down on the ground as cars went by, apparently trying to avoid being seen. "He was ducking from the traffic, so it was pretty obvious" that 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. Wyatt believed Baker had been hiding near his property in a small, makeshift camping spot over a bluff overlooking the ocean. He said Baker stole couch cushions from a container outside his home and some charcoal, using coconut tree palm fronds to cover the site. Valdez said he had not seen Baker in about two years. Back then, Baker was living next door, renting space from their neighbor while trimming coconuts from trees and selling them off the area's main road. 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 his girlfriend had left and that he was trying to get his life together," Valdez said. "So he seemed pretty normal and conscientious, so it's hard to fathom that this happened."
