Inset: Jon Tokuhara (Mililani Memorial Park). Background: Eric Thompson receives his fate for killing Tokuhara in Hawaii (KGMB).
A Hawaii man was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for murdering his wife”s acupuncturist with whom she was reportedly having an affair.
Eric Thompson, 37, received his fate Friday for the January 2022 killing of 47-year-old Jon Tokuhara near Honolulu. Local CBS affiliate KGMB reports that Thompson also was sentenced to 20 years for a weapons charge. He will have to serve at least 15 years on the murder charge. The sentences will run concurrently. A jury in February convicted Thompson of second-degree murder. It was the second trial as the first one ended in mistrial after a jury could not come to a unanimous verdict.
According to KGMB, Thompson’s wife supported her husband and sat behind him at the sentencing hearing. She declined to speak with the media afterward, as did Thompson’s family.
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A friend of Tokuhara’s, Elton Escobido, told the TV station his pal was “not a homewrecker.”
“He’s a nice guy,” Escobido said. “I mean, he gives back to the community. Like for high school, if you’re participating in a sport and you’re in the medical field, guess what? You get a $2,000 scholarship.”
Thompson’s attorneys argued he was not in the area at the time of the murder. They also claimed the victim was having affairs with multiple women and other people may have had a motive to kill him.
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As Law&Crime previously reported, Tokuhara’s mother found her son shot to death inside his acupuncture clinic on Jan. 12, 2022. Police reportedly used surveillance video to identify Thompson’s truck and link him to the murder scene.
As Thompson walked back to his car, he dropped his hat, which was later picked up by a homeless man, KGMB reported. Police used surveillance video to identify that man and pull samples of hair and fibers from it, ultimately leading to Thompson as the possible killer, the TV station said.
According to local Fox affiliate KHON, which reviewed court documents supporting Thompson’s arrest, Thompson’s wife was having an affair with Tokuhara between May and July of 2021.
A patient of Tokuhara’s, who is believed to be the last patient to see him the day before his body was discovered, said that she knew both Thompson and his wife, KHON reported. That patient said the couple started dating in high school and later married, the KHON story said.
That patient later referred Thompson’s wife to Tokuhara for acupuncture services and treatment, according to the KHON report.
The wife later admitted to the patient that she was having an affair, although she did not say with whom or whether Thompson knew about it, the Fox affiliate continued.
The police investigation into Tokuhara’s death reportedly uncovered Instagram messages between the victim and Thompson’s wife in which she expressed fear about Thompson discovering the relationship.
The KHON report further noted that it appeared that while Tokuhara may have wanted a long-term relationship, Thompson’s wife did not want to leave her husband; in July 2021, she reportedly told Tokuhara that she had to end the relationship and he couldn’t contact her anymore. Their last Instagram communication was on July 23, 2021, according to KHON.
Marisa Sarnoff contributed to this report
