Recently tested rape kits match known criminals ADVERTISING Recently tested rape kits match known criminals HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu police matched some DNA profiles obtained from 180 recently processed rape kits with potential perpetrators in a national offender database —
Recently tested rape kits match known criminals
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu police matched some DNA profiles obtained from 180 recently processed rape kits with potential perpetrators in a national offender database — a development they say could solve years-old crimes or prevent serial sex offenders from raping again.
The Honolulu Police Department tested kits that involve cases in which the rapist was a stranger, the victim was a minor, a serial offender was suspected or there were multiple suspects involved.
Police spokeswoman Michelle Yu said 25 percent of the kits yielded DNA profiles that could be uploaded to the federal database. The remaining kits had insufficient DNA or yielded a DNA profile that matched the victim.
Yu declined comment about how many of the 45 usable DNA profiles resulted in a match with someone in the national offender database.
“After this work has been completed, more information will be released,” Yu said.
The 180 kits are the first of hundreds of old rape kits law enforcement agencies are testing after acknowledging last year they had tested only a small fraction of the evidence kits submitted to them as part of investigations through the years.
From the 1990s to 2016, only 13 percent of 2,240 rape kits were tested.
The police department began receiving the first test results in December.
In total, law enforcement determined in December that 1,443 kits would be tested. However, the total is expected to change based on additional information provided by the county police departments, said Josh Wisch, a spokesman for the state Attorney General’s Office.
Police identify
2 people killed
in murder-suicide
HONOLULU (AP) — Authorities identified the 42-year-old man and 7-year-old boy who were killed Tuesday in what is thought to be a murder-suicide.
Gerald Aikau and his son, Reef Aikau, were killed, authorities said.
Reef was discovered in his bedroom while Gerald Aikau was found dead outside the family’s home. Gerald Aikau was legendary waterman Eddie Aikau’s nephew.
A family member discovered Gerald Aikau’s body hanging from a tree and tried to resuscitate him but was unsuccessful, said Myra Aikau.
Gerald Aikau had “family issues” and was seeking help with doctors, Myra Aikau said.
“Gerald was a really good boy,” Myra Aikau said. “He had so much problems and he tried to settle it by himself and I don’t know what happened … He did this, but he was loved by all of us.”
Both people suffered “multiple injuries,” with the boy injured by a sharp object, police said.
