Vigil set as community mourns Puna homicide victims

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Friends and family are remembering three men who were killed in Puna as the suspect, Jacob Baker, 36, remains in police custody following a two-day manhunt.

Steven Busher, a longtime friend of two of the victims — Chitta Morse, 79, and Bob Shine, 69 — said the news of their deaths has been difficult to process.

“It’s one of the saddest things. I sat here and cried for two days,” Busher said.

Busher said he met Morse and Shine nearly a decade ago after moving to the Big Island from Peru. He described Shine as a generous and welcoming person who offered him a place to stay when he first arrived.

“I told Bob, I said, ‘Man, I’ve got no place to go.’ And he said, ‘You can stay at my house for three weeks,’” Busher recalled. “He built me a couch and I stayed on his first floor.”

Busher said Shine was known throughout the community for his kindness and sense of humor.

“He had a spirit of gold. He was one of the funniest people. He would laugh. He would get people dancing,” he said.

Both Shine and Morse lived on Papaya Farms Road in Puna. Busher said Morse was widely known for crafting custom machetes that attracted customers from across the state.

“What he was an amazing person at, he made the best machetes on the island,” Busher said. “People would come from Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Kauai. They would come from everywhere just to buy this guy’s machetes.”

Police identified the third victim as John Carse, 69. Authorities said Carse’s body was discovered in Kalapana, about 19 miles from where the other two victims were found.

Baker was arrested Thursday in Kaimū without incident after a two-day search. The investigation remains ongoing.

Puna resident Priya Surrago said Baker’s arrest brought relief to a community shaken by the killings.

“So much relief, like tremendous relief,” Surrago said. “It feels like a celebration, honestly, because everyone’s been really scared.”

A candlelight vigil honoring Morse, Shine and Carse is set for Saturday at Coso Wasi in Kapoho beginning at 2 p.m.

Organizers are asking attendees to bring a flower, photograph or memory to share as they remember the three men and support their families.