Neighbors say they begged for protection from a dangerous man on Hawaii’s Big Island, only to watch the system shrug before three of their friends ended up dead.

Story Snapshot

• Two women sought restraining orders days before the killings, warning Jacob Baker had threatened to kill people on their rural farm.
• A judge rejected both petitions for “insufficient evidence,” and authorities say Baker was still free when three men were murdered.
• The case exposes how courts and law enforcement often move faster to restrict law‑abiding gun owners than to confront known threats.
• Residents are demanding answers on why clear danger signs near the crime scenes did not trigger stronger protection.

Neighbors’ Warnings And A System That Did Not Act

Local reporting and televised coverage confirm that just days before three men were killed in the rural Puna district, two women filed temporary restraining order petitions against thirty‑six‑year‑old Jacob “Jake” Baker.^[1][2] According to the filings, Baker allegedly threatened to kill people at a farm on Papaya Farm Road in Pahoa, including a disabled man and others, and repeatedly entered the property, taking items and frightening residents who said they no longer felt safe.^[2] Those allegations described behavior any common‑sense neighbor would recognize as a serious warning.

Coverage of the case shows these threats were not vague social media chatter but written statements sworn out in court, identifying a specific location later tied to at least two of the homicide victims.^[1][2] One woman told reporters that other women staying on the land left because Baker allegedly threatened to kill them, and one of the petitions described him squatting and refusing to leave.^[2] Residents of the broader Puna community later told a local outlet they felt “fear, unease, anger, frustration, grief and deep concern” as the manhunt unfolded, knowing warnings had already been raised.^[3]

Judge Denies Protection, Then A Triple Homicide

Despite those sworn statements, the petitions for temporary restraining orders were denied by a judge, with a televised report explaining that the court found “insufficient evidence” of harassment or an imminent threat.^[1] The judge was not required to explain in detail why the claims did not meet the threshold, leaving neighbors and victims’ friends to learn only after the killings that legal attempts to flag Baker’s alleged threats had been turned away.^[1] That decision left Baker free in the same community where the killings would soon take place.

Police and reporters now say Baker is accused of killing three men—Robert Shine, aged sixty‑nine, a seventy‑nine‑year‑old man identified in one report as Chida Morris, and sixty‑nine‑year‑old John Carse—over roughly forty‑eight hours in remote parts of Hawaii’s Big Island.^[1] Two of the victims were found near Papaya Farm Road, in the same area described in the restraining order filings.^[2] Law enforcement officials stated that the three homicides were connected and that Baker was tied to all three cases, though they have not publicly released a clear motive.^[1][2] For many residents, the sequence looks like a textbook case of danger flagged, dismissed, and then tragically confirmed.

Manhunt, Arrest, And Questions About Prior Contacts

Once the bodies were discovered, Hawaii Island police described Baker as “armed and extremely dangerous” and launched an island‑wide manhunt that stretched over multiple days.^[2][3] Television coverage showed officers flooding the Puna district, warning citizens not to approach Baker and urging anyone who spotted him to call emergency services immediately.^[2] The search involved what one report called “significant resources,” including state and federal support, underscoring how quickly authorities can mobilize once blood has already been spilled.^[1]

Police in Hawaii have arrested Jacob Daniel Baker, the suspect in a triple homicide on the Big Island, after a two-day manhunt. https://t.co/9looHZYOiQ

— NewsRadio WHAM 1180 (@WHAM1180) June 1, 2026

Police ultimately captured Baker after receiving a tip that he was hiding near a road and then locating him in a small cave, ending a tense standoff with a community already traumatized by the killings.^[1][3] Court records show he has since been charged with one count of first‑degree murder and three counts of second‑degree murder.^[4] Officials have acknowledged that Baker was “known to police” and known locally, although they have not detailed those past contacts, and public records primarily show prior traffic and driving offenses rather than violent convictions.^[2][3] That narrow paper trail illustrates a recurring problem: a person can appear obviously dangerous to neighbors without leaving the kind of bureaucratic footprint that prompts aggressive action before it is too late.

Sources:

[1] YouTube – Neighbors’ warnings ignored before Hawaii triple homicide | Wake Up …

[2] YouTube – Hawaii triple murder suspect captured after massive manhunt

[3] YouTube – Suspect in Puna triple homicide charged with multiple murder counts

[4] YouTube – Triple homicide suspect appears in Hilo court