New DNA technology allows investigator better chance at solving decades old cold cases
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New DNA technology allows investigator better chance at solving decades old cold cases
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02:47
A 66-year-old suspect in the 1977 killing of a Hawaii teenager was released from a Utah jail on Thursday after prosecutors in Honolulu said they weren’t ready to proceed with a murder charge against him.
Gideon Castro was arrested in January at a Utah nursing home on a fugitive warrant for suspicion of second-degree murder in the death of 16-year-old Dawn Momohara. He had waived the right to challenge his extradition during a hearing in Salt Lake City last month. Castro, who is ill, appeared by video from a hospital bed.
While Castro was still awaiting extradition, Honolulu prosecutors told their counterparts in Utah this week that they were not proceeding against him because of “recent complications involving a material witness in this case and the state of the evidence.”
“Please understand we view this as only a temporary setback, and we remain fully committed to continuing our efforts to prosecute this matter in the near future,” Kelsi Guerra, a deputy prosecuting attorney in Honolulu, wrote in a Monday letter to Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Clifford Ross.
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Dawn Momohara, left, and a sketch of a person of interest in her murder released by police.
Hawaii Police Department via HawaiiNewsNow
Utah District Court Judge John Nielsen ordered Castro’s release late Wednesday afternoon. He was released Thursday, said Chris Bronson, spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
On March 21, 1977, shortly after 7:30 a.m., Honolulu police found the body of Momohara on the second floor of a building at McKinley High School. Momohara was partially clothed and lying on her back with an orange cloth tied around her neck, said Lt. Deena Thoemmes, of Honolulu Police. A subsequent autopsy ruled Momohara was strangled to death, and the medical examiner said there were signs of sexual assault.
Castro graduated from the Honolulu school in 1976.
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An attorney for Castro had said during a hearing last month in Salt Lake City that he intended to fight the charges upon his return to Hawaii, where he is still a resident, according to jail records. It is unclear how long Castro had been in Utah when he was arrested at the nursing home in Millcreek, just south of Salt Lake City.
A McKinley High School graduate who was the school’s band teacher at the time of Momohara’s death said he was disappointed to learn of Castro’s release.
“I guess they’ve got to make sure they have a rock-solid case,” Grant Okamura said.
“In a sense I’m disappointed that they couldn’t at least go to trial but I can understand their nervousness that they don’t want to just haphazardly go into something and have it thrown out.”
Authorities in Hawaii said Thursday that they were continuing with their investigation into Momohara’s killing. No further information was being released at this time, Honolulu police spokesperson Michelle Yu said.
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Following Momohara’s death, police released sketches of a person of interest and a possible vehicle described by witnesses as a 1974 or 1975 Pontiac LeMans. But they were unable to identify a suspect, and the case grew cold.
Several days after Momohara was killed, detectives interviewed Castro. He said he met Momohara at a school dance that year and last saw her at a carnival on campus in February 1977. Police interviewed his brother, who also met Momohara at the dance
In November 2023, Honolulu police went to Chicago, where the brother was living. They “surreptitiously” obtained DNA from one of the brother’s adult children, police said.
Lab findings excluded the brother as a suspect, but a DNA sample from Castro’s adult son, and later from Castro himself, proved he was responsible, police said.
Castro was arrested last month at the nursing home where he had been living in Millcreek, just south of Salt Lake City, on a fugitive warrant for suspicion of second-degree murder. Jail records indicate he is still a resident of Hawaii, and it is unclear how long he had been living in Utah.
UH kicker Kansei Matsuzawa reacted after making a game-winning field goal to beat the Stanford Cardinal at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in the Warriors’ opener on Aug. 23.
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Kicker Kansei Matsuzawa today became the University of Hawaii football program’s first consensus All-American.
Matsuzawa, 26, earned the distinction after being selected today to the American Football Coaches Association’s All-America first team.
The NCAA recognizes five All-America teams. A “consensus” All-American is selected to three of those organizations’ first teams. Matsuzawa previously was named to the All-America first teams by the Walter Camp Foundation and the Associated Press. The Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America will announce their All-America teams this week.
“This is a result of my teammates and coaches,” Matsuzawa said, noting without them “I couldn’t have done this. I appreciate my family, and the state of Hawaii and Japan.”
Matsuzawa is a self-taught kicker from Chiba, Japan. The school-promoted “Tokyo Toe” converted his first 25 field-goal attempts this season to tie an FBS record for best start. The streak ended when he was wide right on a 30-yard attempt in the fourth quarter of the regular-season finale against Wyoming.
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Last week, UH special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield declared Matsuzawa as “the best kicker in the country. And I’ll stand on the tallest mountain and scream it from the tallest mountain until the cows come home.”
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The Rainbow Warriors will play Cal in the Dec. 24 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl at the Ching Complex.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Hawaii-based company was in the national spotlight this weekend for its sweet service.
The Maui Cookie Lady was featured on Good Morning America as part of a segment highlighting the best holiday cookies to order online.
The Makawao-based bakery made the list, curated by Bon Appétit and Epicurious editor-in-chief Jamila Robinson, alongside other standout cookie companies from across the country that can deliver delicious treats straight to your doorstep.
The Maui Cookie Lady was founded by Mitzi Toro in 2012 as a thank you to Maui nurses who cared for Toro’s ill father.
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Known for colossal-sized cookies in imaginative flavors, the company quickly became a favorite, with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Ludacris among its many fans.
“I’m still taking it in,” said Toro. “I’m proud of our team and grateful for the support that has carried us from our island kitchen to a national audience. I hope this moment reminds people how special our Maui community truly is.”
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Radar shows heavy rain over Oahu and Kauai County earlier today.
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Periods of heavy rain and hazardous ocean conditions continued today across parts of Hawaii, with the greatest flood risk focused on Kauai and Niihau as wet weather lingers into midweek.
The National Weather Service said a lingering weather system west of the islands is continuing to pull warm, moisture-heavy air northward, keeping showers in the forecast through at least early Tuesday. Some areas of Kauai and Oahu picked up another 1 to 2 inches of rain overnight, adding to already saturated ground from the weekend.
Forecasters said the flood watch remains in effect through late tonight for Kauai, Niihau and Oahu as even moderate rainfall could quickly turn into runoff. Flooding is most likely in low-lying areas, along streams and on roads that typically collect water.
While rainfall may be lighter than Sunday’s downpours, forecasters warned that slow-moving showers could linger over the same areas, raising the risk of flooding for streets and streams. Isolated thunderstorms are also possible, mainly over Kauai and Oahu, through early Tuesday.
Looking ahead, the flooding threat is expected to ease for Oahu by early Tuesday, but Kauai and Niihau could remain at risk through the middle of the week. Another cold front approaching from the northwest is forecast to stall near those islands, keeping skies mostly cloudy with periods of rain. Officials said flood watches may need to be extended for the western islands if conditions worsen.
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Conditions should gradually improve late in the week, with fewer showers expected by Thursday and Friday. Tradewinds are forecast to return over the weekend, bringing drier air and more typical weather heading into the holiday week.
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At the same time, dangerous surf remains a concern statewide. A large north-northwest swell is producing advisory-level waves along north- and west-facing shores. Surf heights of 15 to 20 feet along north-facing shores and 10 to 14 feet along west-facing shores are expected to continue through this evening for Niihau, Kauai and Oahu, before slowly easing.
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High surf advisories remain in effect into early Tuesday for Molokai, Maui and parts of Hawaii island, where an earlier warning was downgraded as surf heights came in lower than expected. Ocean safety officials continue to urge the public to stay out of the water if conditions appear unsafe.
Marine conditions are also rough, with a small craft advisory in effect through 6 p.m. today for waters around Kauai and Oahu. Seas of 7 to 10 feet are making conditions hazardous for smaller boats, especially for inexperienced mariners.
Residents and visitors are urged to monitor forecasts closely, avoid flooded roads and heed all ocean and marine advisories.
