HPD releases apparent motive in murders of Manoa family, says alleged killer tried to get a gun
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Hawaii chiropractor who fatally stabbed his wife and three children before taking his own life was in severe “financial distress,” had tried to get a firearm and told relatives earlier this month he planned to murder his family and burn the house down, HPD said.
The shocking revelations come as the community tries to make sense of the horrific tragedy.
In a news conference Friday, HPD Lt. Deena Thoemmes detailed the latest on the investigation, saying that the motive in the murders was the financial problems that father Paris Oda was experiencing. She said Oda hadn’t paid taxes in years and his business was struggling.
She said in late 2023, Oda told relatives that he was in distress financially and falling behind in payments on his car, his children’s tuition and loans. This year, he looked into selling a second home.
“He shared with a relative that it was his responsibility to fix it,” Thoemmes said, adding that he “started to withdrew and become quiet and distant” as his financial troubles deepened.
Thoemmes said that earlier this month, Oda told relatives in discussing his financial troubles that he “would rather die than go to jail” for unpaid taxes. Perhaps most chilling: Thoemmes said Oda also told his wife in a text in mid-February that they needed to take their lives and that “their children needed to come with them because no one could take better care of them than he could.”
“His financial distress heightened in March as the tax season approached,” Thoemmes said, in the news conference. “He told relatives that he would rather die than go to jail for unpaid taxes.
“At that time, he also said he would kill his family and burn the house down.”
Earlier on Friday, the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office officially identified all those killed.
Police say Oda fatally stabbed his 48-year-old wife, Naoko, and their children Sunday in their Manoa home. The children were identified as 17-year-old Sakurako, 12-year-old Orion, and Nana, 10.
GRAPHIC WARNING: Readers may find the following details disturbing.
Officials said that Naoko and Sakurako suffered multiple sharp force injuries, while Nana and Orion died of sharp force wounds to the torso. The Medical Examiner’s Office added that Paris Oda’s cause of death was stab wounds to the chest and ruled the manner of death as a suicide.
Authorities said Oda used a kitchen knife in the crimes.
Thoemmes said the victims were likely stabbed about 2 or 2:30 a.m.
All of the victims had defensive wounds. Sakurako and Orion were both found in bedrooms alone while Nana was found in the master bedroom, where her mother’s body was also discovered.
Thoemmes said victims would have all died “within a few hours.”
The bodies weren’t discovered until about 9:15 a.m. Police say a tenant at the home who had called 911 earlier didn’t come out to meet the first officers who responded and couldn’t be reached.
She told officers who returned to the property after her second 911 call that she had barricaded herself in her room after hearing screaming and seeing “blood seep through her bedroom door.”
In the news conference, Thoemmes also revealed that Oda had attempted to get a firearm. She said text messages revealed he’d reached out to a contact for a firearm but never heard back.
Meanwhile, the Oda family issued a public statement Friday thanking the community for their aloha.
Here’s the full statement:
“As we continue to grieve and make sense of this tragedy, the Oda family would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has reached out to us with their outpouring of support. It has been extremely difficult for our entire family to understand and accept the circumstances about why Naoko, Sakurako, Orion, Nana, and Paris are no longer with us. Our hearts are forever broken and we are searching for a path that gives us some solace and the hope needed to go forward with our daily lives. At this time, we appreciate the public’s understanding of our family’s request for privacy. The showing of aloha from friends, colleagues, and community members means more than any of you will ever know. Thank you.”
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