Defense attorney in Hawaii love triangle murder trial says acupuncturist cheated with multiple women
HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii man charged with murder in the shooting death of the acupuncturist who was having an affair with his wife wasn’t the only person with a motive to kill him, a defense attorney told jurors at the start of the trial.
Eric Thompson was arrested on Valentine’s Day last year and has been under house arrest in an upscale Honolulu neighborhood.
ADVERTISING
Police said he shot Jon Tokuhara, an acupuncturist treating Thompson’s wife, after discovering the affair through Instagram messages and videos.
Tokuhara “had a track record of cheating,” including with women who had families, Thompson’s defense attorney said. Jilted women ghosted by Tokuhara would have had the same motive, attorney David Hayakawa said, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
Hayakawa said police ignored other leads for possible suspects, noting that Tokuhara was a gambler and nearly $4,000 in cash was found next to his body in his office.
Thompson and his wife were high school sweethearts.
Tokuhara ruined the couple’s image of a perfect life and that’s why Thompson killed him, KHON-TV reported a prosecutor saying.
“He shot him not once, not twice, not three times, but four times to the face,” said Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Rose.
