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Background: News footage of one of the scenes where John Nihipali allegedly stabbed a woman (KHON). Inset: John Nihipali (Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation).
A man from Hawaii, John Nihipali, has been apprehended once more after allegedly fleeing his work furlough program to commit a violent attack on his girlfriend and estranged wife. This grim episode has led to serious charges against him, including second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. Unfortunately, the attack resulted in the death of his 53-year-old girlfriend, while his estranged wife, also 53, survived the ordeal.
In a statement released by the Honolulu Police Department following Nihipali’s arrest, it was revealed that both assaults took place in separate towns. The police, upon investigation, discovered that both victims were linked romantically to Nihipali. The connection between the two incidents was thus established, painting a distressing picture of the situation.
Local news outlet KHON, affiliated with Fox, reported that Nihipali was an inmate at the Oahu Community Correctional Center. At the time of the attacks, he was participating in a work release program, taking advantage of a resocialization furlough pass. This program was intended to aid his reintegration, yet it seemingly provided him the opportunity to commit these alleged crimes.
The sequence of events began to unfold on a Friday afternoon when Honolulu police received a distress call about a stabbing at a residence in Kapolei, Hawaii. Authorities swiftly arrived at the scene at 4:15 p.m. and found Nihipali outside his estranged wife’s home. Despite his resistance, he was subdued and arrested. It was later discovered that Nihipali had stabbed his estranged wife in the neck, an attack interrupted by an unnamed 30-year-old man, allowing her to escape and alert the police.
Shortly after, at 5:30 p.m., another call reached the police regarding an unresponsive woman in McCully, Hawaii. Initially classified as an unattended death, further investigation revealed she had suffered multiple stab wounds, including defensive injuries. It was this troubling discovery that confirmed the connection to Nihipali, whose participation in the furlough program had been monitored via an ankle bracelet.
Police found the girlfriend’s vehicle at the home of Nihipali’s estranged wife. Police said Surveillance cameras showed Nihipali entering his girlfriend’s home in McCully just after 10:30 a.m. the same morning and leaving around 2:45 p.m. He then allegedly took his girlfriend’s vehicle to drive to his estranged wife’s house in Kapolei, where he arrived around 4 p.m.
HPD homicide Lt. Deena Thoemmes said during a press conference Friday that Nihipali’s estranged wife was still hospitalized but improving.
KHON reported that Nihipali was serving a 25-year sentence for second-degree assault; the victim in that case was his estranged wife.
Nihipali was charged on Saturday with attempted first-degree murder, second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, burglary, and escape. He is in custody and being held without bail. His next court date was not made available.