Beneath the Palms: Hawaii's Darkest True Crime and Mysteries

The Fujita Murders: Toako “Kototome” Fujita, Goro Fujita, and the Extradition Case of Raita Fukusaku (Honolulu 1994) | 072

A mother traveled to Honolulu to be close to her only son. By the end of February 23, 1994, Toako “Kototome” Fujita and Goro Fujita were dead, two fires had been set, and a Hawaii murder case was beginning to stretch across the Pacific. This episode of Beneath the Palms revisits the Fujita murders, the killing of a famous Japanese fortune teller and her son, the $20,000 cash request that raised alarm, the burned Ala Moana penthouse, the red Acura found near the Park Shore Hotel in Waikiki, and the evidence that led investigators to Raita Fukusaku. The case became one of Hawaii’s most unusual international true crime stories. Fukusaku, a Japanese national living in Honolulu, was later extradited from Japan to the United States, convicted in 1995 of two counts of second-degree murder, and sentenced to consecutive life terms. Nearly thirty years later, the case returned to the headlines when Fukusaku was killed inside Halawa Correctional Facility. This is not a story about spectacle. It is about a mother and son, Toako and Goro, whose lives were much larger than the way they died. We follow the verified record, separate court argument from fact, and keep the human beings at the center of the story. Sources: State v. Fukusaku, Supreme Court of Hawaii, 1997 https://law.justia.com/cases/hawaii/supreme-court/1997/19281-2.html Inmate Who Murdered Japanese Psychic Is Killed In Attack At Halawa Prison, Honolulu Civil Beat https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/10/inmate-who-murdered-japanese-psychic-is-killed-in-attack-at-halawa-prison/ An inmate convicted of the 1994 killing of a Japanese psychic was found dead in a Hawaii prison cell, Associated Press https://apnews.com/article/2d58d6c2fbb8b2053138f4e79b04a235 Fukusaku to remain behind bars until at least 2034, Hawaii News Now https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/21949917/fukusaku-to-remain-behind-bars-until-at-least-2034/ Fujita Background, Honolulu Star-Bulletin clipping via Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/article/honolulu-star-bulletin-fujita-background/31793407/ Additional archival reporting referenced in the episode came from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The Honolulu Advertiser, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, and Associated Press wire coverage from 1994 and 1995. #BeneathThePalms #HawaiiTrueCrime #HonoluluTrueCrime #FujitaMurders #UnsolvedNoMore

Vesna Young Missing in Miloli'i: The Big Island Disappearance and the Silence Left Behind | 071

Vesna Young vanished from Miloli'i on Hawaii Island on March 16, 2025, after she was last reported seen near Umi Avenue and her vehicle was later found unattended near Kai Avenue. But this is not just a story about a missing-person bulletin. Before Vesna became a name in a police release, public traces of her life show a woman rooted in family, bodywork, yoga, music, Alaska, mountains, weather, and the people who loved her. She was remembered as a wife, a mother, a massage therapist, a skier, a singer, and someone whose presence made life feel more alive. Hawaii Island police publicly asked for help locating Vesna on March 18, 2025, then renewed that request on April 1. The public record remains painfully narrow: she was last seen in Miloli'i at about 3:30 p.m., her unattended vehicle was found around 8:30 p.m. that same evening, and investigators continued asking anyone with information to contact police. This episode follows the verified record, the public grief that formed around Vesna’s name, and the careful questions still left behind. Where the facts are clear, we stay with them. Where the record thins out, we say so plainly. If you know something real about Vesna Young’s disappearance, contact the Hawaii Police Department non-emergency number at 808-935-3311 or Detective Joel Furuto with the Area II Criminal Investigation Section. Sources: Police Renew Request for Information on Missing Miloli'i Woman Vesna Young https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/police-renew-request-for-information-on-missing-milolii-woman-vesna-young/ Police Seeking Missing Miloli'i Woman Vesna Young https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/2025/03/page/3/ Hawaii Island police in search of more information on missing Miloli'i woman https://bigislandnow.com/2025/04/09/milolii-woman-reported-missing-after-vehicle-found-unattended/ Police Seeking Missing Miloli'i Woman | KWXX https://www.kwxx.com/2025/03/19/police-seeking-missing-milolii-woman/ Police Seeking Missing Miloli'i Woman | KPUA https://www.kpua.net/2025/03/19/police-seeking-missing-milolii-woman/ Hawaii island police still searching for missing Miloli'i woman https://www.staradvertiser.com/2025/03/23/breaking-news/hawaii-island-police-still-searching-for-missing-miloli%CA%BBi-woman/ BOLO: Missing Hawaiian Woman’s Car Found Abandoned https://www.crimeonline.com/2025/03/19/bolo-missing-hawaiian-womans-car-found-abandoned/ Support for Vesna Young’s Family https://www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-vesna-help-her-family-heal Glacier Creek Massage and Wellness — About https://www.girdwoodmassage.com/about-2/ Vesna Young SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/vesna-young Vesna Young YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/jvmovie Girdwood Massage Instagram https://www.instagram.com/girdwoodmassage/ Vesna Young Threads https://www.threads.com/@girdwoodmassage Alaska Institute remembrance for Vesna Young https://www.facebook.com/AlaskaInstitute/posts/we-are-very-saddened-to-hear-of-the-passing-of-alumni-vesna-young-she-had-many-f/1208927297902374/ Celebration of Life for Vesna Young https://allevents.in/girdwood/celebration-of-life-for-vesna-young/200028048781932 Inside the Epidemic of Missing Persons on Hawaii’s Big Island https://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/inside-the-epidemic-of-missing-persons-on-hawaiis-big-island/ HI - Vesna Young, 51, Miloli'i, 16 Mar 2025 https://websleuths.com/threads/hi-vesna-young-51-miloli%E2%80%99i-16-mar-2025.739400/ #VesnaYoung #MissingPerson #Milolii #HawaiiIsland #BigIsland #SouthKona #HawaiiTrueCrime #MissingInHawaii #BeneathThePalms

Elmer Lee Stevens and the Last Unanswered Lahaina Fire Missing Person Case | 070

Elmer Lee Stevens was one of the last people still listed as unaccounted for after the August 8, 2023 Lahaina fire. In this Beneath the Palms episode, we follow the verified record: the shrinking missing list, the search for Elmer, the loss of Tau Tala Tala Ponali, and the court process that followed when his family was left without remains or a final physical answer. This is a fact-based Hawaii true crime and Lahaina wildfire aftermath story grounded in public reporting. It is also a story about family. Elmer’s six children were not only searching for their missing father. They were also grieving their mother, Tau Ponali, remembered in Lahaina as “Auntie Tala” or “Minister Tala.” The episode also carefully addresses the unanswered space around Elmer’s disappearance without presenting rumor as fact. The known record shows no evidence that he left Maui, extensive searches produced no remains, and later court proceedings led to a legal declaration of death. What the fire took, it did not fully return. Sources used in this episode: Maui Wildfire Disaster Unaccounted For [https://www.mauinuistrong.info/unaccountedfor] Investigators spent months searching for a man unaccounted for in Lahaina fire. Now his 6 children are asking the court to declare him deceased [https://mauinow.com/2025/01/30/investigators-spent-months-searching-for-a-man-unaccounted-for-in-lahaina-fire-now-his-6-children-are-asking-the-court-to-declare-him-deceased/] The Lives We Lost: Tau Ponali [https://www.civilbeat.org/maui-fires/the-lives-we-lost/] Maui police release photos of 6 who remain ‘unaccounted for’ following wildfire [https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/10/21/maui-police-release-photos-6-who-remain-unaccounted-following-wildfire/] His Life In Lahaina Descended Into Homelessness, Then Death In Fire [https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/08/his-life-in-lahaina-descended-into-homelessness-then-death-in-fire/] Elmer Lee Stevens [https://missingpersonscenter.org/missing-persons-directory/missing-from-maui/elmer-lee-stevens/] Mahalo to Yoza for “Broken Wings.” #ElmerLeeStevens #LahainaFire #Lahaina #MauiWildfires #MissingPerson #HawaiiTrueCrime #BeneathThePalms

Jacquelyn Glenn Missing in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii | Last Seen December 5, 2025 | 069

Jacquelyn Glenn missing in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii: This episode examines the disappearance of 82-year-old Jacquelyn “Jackie” Glenn, last seen on December 5, 2025, on Nani Kailua Drive in Kona after reportedly mentioning a trip toward Hilo. The official record is spare. The silence around it is not. In this episode of Beneath the Palms, we stay with the verified timeline first, then carefully separate the public unease that grew around Jackie’s disappearance. Where the record is thin, conflicting, or unconfirmed, that is said plainly. Nothing outside the verified lane is presented as fact. If you have information in Jacquelyn Glenn’s case, contact the Hawaiʻi Police Department non-emergency line at 808-935-3311 and reference report number 25-111101. Sources: https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/police-seek-missing-elderly-kona-woman-jacquelyn-glenn/ [https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/police-seek-missing-elderly-kona-woman-jacquelyn-glenn/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/police-renew-request-for-information-on-missing-elderly-kona-woman-jacquelyn-glenn/ [https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/police-renew-request-for-information-on-missing-elderly-kona-woman-jacquelyn-glenn/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/police-renew-request-for-information-on-missing-elderly-kona-woman-jacquelyn-glenn-2/ [https://www.hawaiipolice.gov/police-renew-request-for-information-on-missing-elderly-kona-woman-jacquelyn-glenn-2/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://bigislandnow.com/2025/12/10/police-in-search-of-missing-82-year-old-last-seen-in-kona/ [https://bigislandnow.com/2025/12/10/police-in-search-of-missing-82-year-old-last-seen-in-kona/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://bigislandnow.com/2026/01/05/hawaii-island-police-renew-request-for-help-finding-missing-elderly-kona-woman/ [https://bigislandnow.com/2026/01/05/hawaii-island-police-renew-request-for-help-finding-missing-elderly-kona-woman/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://bigislandnow.com/2026/01/27/hawaii-island-police-renew-request-for-help-finding-missing-kupuna/ [https://bigislandnow.com/2026/01/27/hawaii-island-police-renew-request-for-help-finding-missing-kupuna/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/01/06/hawaii-island-asks-publics-assistance-finding-elderly-woman-jacquelyn-glenn/?outputType=amp [https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/01/06/hawaii-island-asks-publics-assistance-finding-elderly-woman-jacquelyn-glenn/?outputType=amp&utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://www.crimeonline.com/2025/12/18/bolo-homicide-investigation-launched-as-police-search-for-missing-hawaii-woman/ [https://www.crimeonline.com/2025/12/18/bolo-homicide-investigation-launched-as-police-search-for-missing-hawaii-woman/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://www.reddit.com/r/BigIsland/comments/1pjftpi/please_help_us_find_ms_jackie_glenn/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/BigIsland/comments/1pjftpi/please_help_us_find_ms_jackie_glenn/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Additional public Facebook and Instagram community appeals were referenced only in the clearly separated public-commentary portion of the episode. #JacquelynGlenn #MissingPerson #KailuaKona #BigIsland #HawaiiTrueCrime #BeneathThePalms

McCully Murder & Kapolei Stabbing: John Nihipali Sr. and Hawaii’s Work Furlough Case | 068

On this episode of Beneath the Palms: the McCully murder and Kapolei stabbing case, the Hawaii work furlough controversy, and the charges against John Nihipali Sr. after police say Georgia Ann Kapana was killed on Fern Street and his estranged wife was stabbed hours later on Oahu. This story is built from police releases, court reporting, and local coverage. It follows the March 5, 2026 attacks, the alleged route from McCully to Kapolei, the work furlough and ankle-monitor questions that followed, and the court case that was still unresolved at the time this episode was written. Listener discretion is advised for domestic violence, fatal violence, and graphic injury. If this episode hits close to home, please don’t carry it alone. If you have information, call 911 or CrimeStoppers at (808) 955-8300. If you need help in Hawaii, Domestic Violence Action Center offers support at (808) 531-3771, toll-free at (800) 690-6200, and by text at (605) 956-5680. Sources:UPDATE – HPD Investigates Connection Between Two Oʻahu Stabbings; Suspect in Custody — https://www.honolulupd.org/update-hpd-investigates-connection-between-two-o%CA%BBahu-stabbings-suspect-in-custody/ [https://www.honolulupd.org/update-hpd-investigates-connection-between-two-o%CA%BBahu-stabbings-suspect-in-custody/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] HPD Investigating Attempted Murder in Kapolei — https://www.honolulupd.org/hpd-investigating-attempted-murder-in-kapolei/ [https://www.honolulupd.org/hpd-investigating-attempted-murder-in-kapolei/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Update – Suspect in McCully Murder and Kapolei Attempted Murder Charged — https://www.honolulupd.org/update-suspect-in-mccully-murder-and-kapolei-attempted-murder-charged/ [https://www.honolulupd.org/update-suspect-in-mccully-murder-and-kapolei-attempted-murder-charged/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Furloughed inmate charged in killing of girlfriend, stabbing of estranged wife — https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/03/08/work-furlough-inmate-accused-killing-girlfriend-stabbing-estranged-wife-charged// [https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/03/08/work-furlough-inmate-accused-killing-girlfriend-stabbing-estranged-wife-charged//?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Furloughed inmate accused of killing girlfriend, stabbing estranged wife remains without bail — https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/03/09/furloughed-inmate-accused-killing-girlfriend-stabbing-estranged-wife-remains-without-bail/ [https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/03/09/furloughed-inmate-accused-killing-girlfriend-stabbing-estranged-wife-remains-without-bail/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Furloughed inmate accused of killing girlfriend, stabbing ex-wife indicted for murder — https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/03/11/furloughed-inmate-accused-killing-girlfriend-stabbing-ex-wife-indicted-murder/ [https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/03/11/furloughed-inmate-accused-killing-girlfriend-stabbing-ex-wife-indicted-murder/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Hearing moved after murder suspect refused to leave jail cell — https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/03/20/hearing-moved-after-murder-suspect-refused-leave-jail-cell/ [https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/03/20/hearing-moved-after-murder-suspect-refused-leave-jail-cell/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Thursday stabbing attacks leave one dead, one injured — https://alohastatedaily.com/2026/03/06/thursday-stabbing-attacks-leave-one-dead-one-injured/ [https://alohastatedaily.com/2026/03/06/thursday-stabbing-attacks-leave-one-dead-one-injured/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Domestic Violence Action Center — https://domesticviolenceactioncenter.org/ [https://domesticviolenceactioncenter.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] #BeneathThePalms #HawaiiTrueCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #McCully #Kapolei #JohnNihipaliSr #DomesticViolenceAwareness