Honolulu Strangler

Serial Killer

The Honolulu Strangler: Hawaii's Unidentified Serial Killer

Overview

Between 1985 and 1986, the island paradise of Hawaii was shaken by a series of brutal murders committed by an unidentified assailant, later dubbed the "Honolulu Strangler." This perpetrator is believed to have taken the lives of five women, marking the state's first known serial killings.

Modus Operandi

The Honolulu Strangler's victims were all women who were sexually assaulted and strangled. A consistent pattern emerged: the victims' hands were bound behind their backs, and they were found in various states of undress. The bodies were often discovered near water sources, suggesting the killer had a preferred dumping ground.

Victims

• Vicki Gail Purdy
  • Age: 25
  • Date of Disappearance: May 29, 1985
  • Date of Discovery: May 30, 1985
  • Location: Keehi Lagoon
  • Details: Vicki, a military spouse, went clubbing in Waikīkī but failed to meet her friends. She was last seen by a taxi driver who dropped her off at the Shorebird Hotel around midnight. Her body was found the next morning, wearing her yellow jumpsuit, with hands bound behind her back. She had been raped and strangled.
• Regina Sakamoto
  • Age: 17
  • Date of Disappearance: January 14, 1986
  • Date of Discovery: January 15, 1986
  • Location: Keehi Lagoon
  • Details: Regina missed her bus to school and was last heard from at 7:15 a.m. when she called her boyfriend to inform him she'd be late. Her body was found the next day, partially clothed, with hands bound behind her back. She had been raped and strangled.
• Denise Hughes
  • Age: 21
  • Date of Disappearance: January 30, 1986
  • Date of Discovery: February 1, 1986
  • Location: Moanalua Stream
  • Details: Denise, a secretary for a telephone company, was active in her church and commuted by bus. She didn't show up for work on January 30. Her body was found in a blue dress, wrapped in a blue tarp, with hands bound. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
• Louise Medeiros
  • Age: 25
  • Date of Disappearance: March 26, 1986
  • Date of Discovery: April 2, 1986
  • Location: Waikele Stream
  • Details: Louise had traveled to Kauai to meet family after her mother's death. She took a late-night flight back to Oahu and planned to take a bus from the airport. She was last seen disembarking the airplane. Her decomposing body was found near Waikele Stream, partially clothed, with hands bound behind her back. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
• Linda Pesce
  • Age: 36
  • Date of Disappearance: April 29, 1986
  • Date of Discovery: May 3, 1986
  • Location: Sand Island
  • Details: Linda left home for work on the morning of April 29 and was expected back late that evening. Her car was found parked on the side of the Nimitz-H1 viaduct. A man named Howard Gay informed police that a psychic told him a body could be found at Sand Island. He led police to the location, where Linda's body was discovered, nude, with hands bound behind her back. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

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Confirmed Victims: (5)

Vicki Gail Purdy Age: (25), Date of Death: 1985-05-29

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Honolulu Strangler

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