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

Owen Hamada: Unsolved Murder at Waikele Community Park, Oahu, Hawaii

Owen Hamada was found beaten to death inside the women’s restroom at Waikele Community Park on March 21, 2005. More than twenty years later, his murder remains unsolved. Owen was originally from Hilo, worked in construction and roofing, and was a familiar face around Waikele Shopping Center. Police said he regularly slept overnight in the park restroom and was last seen alive the previous evening at the Waikele McDonald’s. His wallet was missing when park employees found him at about 7:00 a.m. This episode of Beneath the Palms follows Owen’s life before the headline, the final known hours of Sunday, March 20, the early homicide investigation, his family’s reward offer, and the renewed cold-case appeal in 2006. It also examines the limited possibilities raised by the missing wallet, his visible routine, and the unknown hours before his death, while keeping every unproven idea separate from verified fact. Owen was more than the word “homeless.” He was a son of Hilo, a working man, a brother, a father of four, and a grandfather of eleven. This story is told with care for Owen, his family, the park employees who found him, and the community that knew his face. Listener discretion advised: This episode discusses homicide, homelessness, and fatal violence. If you have information: Contact Honolulu CrimeStoppers at 808-955-8300, submit an anonymous online tip, or use the P3 Tips app. Do not investigate the case yourself or post accusations online. Sources: * Owen Hamada | Honolulu Police Department [https://www.honolulupd.org/cold-case/owen-hamada/] – https://www.honolulupd.org/cold-case/owen-hamada/ * Attackers Sought in Fatal Beating | The Honolulu Advertiser [https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/266825232/] – https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/266825232/ * Suspect Sought in Homeless Man’s Death | Honolulu Star-Bulletin [https://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/03/24/news/briefs.html] – https://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/03/24/news/briefs.html * Reward Offered in Waikele Death | The Honolulu Advertiser [https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jun/03/ln/ln18p.html] – https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jun/03/ln/ln18p.html * Owen Kazutoshi Hamada Obituary | The Honolulu Advertiser [https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Apr/14/ln/ln50pobituaries.html] – https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Apr/14/ln/ln50pobituaries.html * Owen Kazutoshi Hamada Obituary | Honolulu Star-Bulletin [https://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/04/15/news/obits.html] – https://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/04/15/news/obits.html * Police Seek Help in Beating Death | The Honolulu Advertiser [https://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Nov/03/ln/FP611030370.html] – https://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Nov/03/ln/FP611030370.html * Public’s Help Sought in Homeless Man’s Death | Honolulu Star-Bulletin [https://archives.starbulletin.com/2006/11/04/news/briefs.html] – https://archives.starbulletin.com/2006/11/04/news/briefs.html * Owen Kazutoshi Hamada Obituary | Hawaii Tribune-Herald [https://staradvertiser.newspapers.com/paper/hawaii-tribune-herald/12556/articles/2005-04-13] – https://staradvertiser.newspapers.com/paper/hawaii-tribune-herald/12556/articles/2005-04-13 * CrimeStoppers Honolulu [https://www.honolulucrimestoppers.org/] – https://www.honolulucrimestoppers.org/ Mahalo to Yoza for the song “Broken Wings.” #BeneathThePalms #OwenHamada #HawaiiTrueCrime #UnsolvedMurder #Waikele

Kalaupapa Forced Exile: Hawaii’s Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Settlement on Molokai | 075

Kalaupapa forced exile on Molokai remains one of the darkest and most important stories in Hawaii history. In 1866, the Hawaiian Kingdom began sending people diagnosed with Hansen’s disease, then commonly called leprosy, to the remote Kalaupapa peninsula, separating families and turning illness into exile. Over the next century, nearly 8,000 people were sent there. This episode follows the law, the fear, the family rupture, and the human cost behind Kalaupapa. It also traces the community people built anyway through care, faith, music, friendship, and endurance. You’ll hear the larger history behind Father Damien, Jonathan Napela, the removal of children from parents, the repeal of forced isolation in 1969, and the descendant-led work to restore names, graves, and family ties today. Kalaupapa is not just a Hawaii history story. It is a story about stigma, state power, Native Hawaiian loss, survival, and memory. If you’ve searched for Kalaupapa, Molokai history, Father Damien, Hansen’s disease in Hawaii, or the history of Hawaii’s leprosy settlement, this episode goes straight to the heart of it. Sources: A Brief History of Kalaupapa — https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/a-brief-history-of-kalaupapa.htm [https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/a-brief-history-of-kalaupapa.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com] The History of Hansen’s Disease in Hawaii — https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/hansensdisease.htm [https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/hansensdisease.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Father Damien — https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/damien.htm [https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/damien.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com] The Kalaupapa Names Project — https://www.kalaupapaohana.org/kalaupapa-names-project [https://www.kalaupapaohana.org/kalaupapa-names-project?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Kalaupapa Month honors settlement’s history and strength of those who were exiled — https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-01-17/kalaupapa-month-honors-settlements-history-and-strength-of-those-who-were-exiled [https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-01-17/kalaupapa-month-honors-settlements-history-and-strength-of-those-who-were-exiled?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Kalaupapa has thousands of unmarked graves. A proposed memorial would honor all who lived there — https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/the-conversation/2022-01-06/kalaupapa-has-thousands-of-unmarked-graves-a-proposed-memorial-would-honor-all-who-lived-there [https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/the-conversation/2022-01-06/kalaupapa-has-thousands-of-unmarked-graves-a-proposed-memorial-would-honor-all-who-lived-there?utm_source=chatgpt.com] #Kalaupapa #Molokai #HawaiiHistory #HansensDisease #LeprosyHistory #FatherDamien #NativeHawaiianHistory #HistoryPodcast #HawaiiPodcast #BeneathThePalms

Allen Francisco: Ala Moana Trunk Murder, Henry Huihui, and Hawaii’s 1974 Organized Crime Shadow | 073

Allen Patrick Francisco was 21 years old when he was found dead in the trunk of his own car at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu. He had been bound, gagged, blindfolded, and left in one of the busiest places in Hawaii. But Allen was more than the way he was found. He was Lico and Solidad Francisco’s son, a brother to seven sisters, a fiancé to Colleen Lincoln, and a young man from North Kukui Street and Mayor Wright Housing whose life was still unfolding. His murder entered Honolulu’s long list of unanswered killings in 1974, then resurfaced more than a decade later through Henry Huihui, a convicted underworld figure whose admission connected Allen’s case to Hawaii’s organized crime era. In this episode of Beneath the Palms, we follow Allen’s life, the Ala Moana trunk murder, the wider fear around body-in-car cases in 1970s Honolulu, the later Huihui and Gilbert Madrid connection, and the painful truth of a case where an admission did not bring a clean ending. This episode includes discussion of homicide, organized crime, and violence against a young man. Listener discretion is advised. Sources: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Body Found in Car Trunk at Hickam [https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?query=%22Body%20Found%20in%20Car%20Trunk%20at%20Hickam%22] Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Huihui’s Plea Agreement Is Rescinded [https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?query=%22Huihui%27s%20Plea%20Agreement%20Is%20Rescinded%22] Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Huihui Agreement Revoked by Judge [https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?query=%22Huihui%20Agreement%20Revoked%20by%20Judge%22] Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Life sentence is sought for Huihui [https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?query=%22Life%20sentence%20is%20sought%20for%20Huihui%22] Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Huihui gets 10 years to life for murder [https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?query=%22Huihui%20gets%2010%20years%20to%20life%20for%20murder%22] Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Mixing wit with grit, modern-day marshals hunt down the bad guys [https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?query=%22Mixing%20wit%20with%20grit%20modern-day%20marshals%20hunt%20down%20the%20bad%20guys%22] Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Honolulu Star-Advertiser obituary and funeral notices for Allen Patrick Francisco [https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?query=%22Allen%20Patrick%20Francisco%22] Palama Settlement Archives, Palama Settlement historical newsletter material [https://archives.palamasettlement.org/omeka-s/files/original/782852fb310c920e3c4c0c3d1a12d96d110936f4.pdf] #BeneathThePalms #HawaiiTrueCrime #AllenFrancisco #HonoluluTrueCrime #AlaMoana

The Fujita Murders: Toako “Kototome” Fujita, Goro Fujita, and the Extradition Case of Raita Fukusaku (Honolulu 1994) (BTP6112026)

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