‘It just didn’t make sense’: Man accused of killing his wife’s lover tells his side of the story

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - As the trial of a deadly love triangle continued Thursday, Eric Thompson took the stand in his own defense, claiming he did not kill the acupuncturist who had an affair with his wife.

Thompson’s wife, Joyce, was a former patient of Tokuhara’s.

He told the jury he even accepted some blame for the affair and was trying to move on, when someone else allegedly committed the murder.

“Did you kill Jon Tokuhara?” asked defense attorney David Hayakawa.

“No,” Thompson replied.

Thompson also denied being in Waipahu — where Tokuhara’s acupuncture office was located — the night before his body was found there.

He said he was at the Waimanalo dump at the time, then returned home for dinner and a shower. He also said he later went to a Hawaii Kai grocery store.

The east Oahu man also denied burning evidence in his yard, saying that flames seen in surveillance video came from tiki torches. Thompson said the burnt bucket police found during investigation was being used to “heat metals for work projects.”

During the trial, the jury was shown a letter Thompson’s wife wrote to Tokuhara, thanking the acupuncturist for his help after she had a miscarriage. She eventually gave birth.

“After our daughter was born, my mom came over to take care of the baby, Joyce continued treatment with Jon. She said it was to help heal from birth process,” Thompson testified.

He said he later realized that his wife and Tokuhara were having an affair, and she confessed.

“There was that pissed off period, but I came to the realization that the problem was me and Joyce. It wasn’t — I mean, she cut him off,” he said.

Thompson said he and his wife weren’t sure if their marriage would survive so after 16 years together, the high school sweethearts signed an agreement to split their assets.

“We didn’t want to go to war in a divorce if it came to that,” he explained.

Thompson said he and his wife stayed married and tried to move on from the affair. He also claimed he never tried to contact Tokuhara.

Tokuhara was shot to death seven months after the affair ended.

Thompson has been under house arrest for the past 18 months, and insists police got the wrong man.

“I had nothing to do it,” he testified.

Meanwhile, Thompson admitted having two registered firearms that were later seized by police.

The prosecution is expected to begin its cross-examination of Thompson when trial resumes Friday.

Copyright 2023 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.