Honolulu Strangler

Serial Killer

The Honolulu Strangler

Overview

The Honolulu Strangler was an unidentified serial killer who murdered five women on the island of Oahu between May 1985 and April 1986. The killer targeted women traveling alone, frequently near bus stops, highways or the area surrounding Honolulu International Airport. The victims were sexually assaulted, strangled and discovered with their hands tied behind their backs. Their bodies were abandoned near lagoons, drainage canals, streams and other isolated locations. The similar methods used in the murders convinced Honolulu police that one person was responsible. Investigators created a special task force, worked with the FBI and warned women against waiting alone at bus stops. Despite an extensive investigation, surveillance operations and the questioning of a significant suspect, nobody was charged. The five murders remain officially unsolved.

The Victims

• Vicki Gail Purdy May 30, 1985 Keehi Lagoon: Purdy was 25 years old and lived in Mililani with her husband, an Army helicopter pilot. On May 29, she planned to meet friends at a nightclub in Waikiki. A taxi driver reportedly took her to the Shorebird Hotel shortly before midnight so that she could retrieve her car. She never met her friends. Her husband later found her vehicle in the hotel parking area with fresh damage. At approximately 7:00 the following morning, Purdy's body was discovered on an embankment near Kalewa Street at Keehi Lagoon, close to the airport. Her hands had been bound behind her back, and investigators determined that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
• Regina Sakamoto January 15, 1986 Keehi Lagoon: Sakamoto was a 17-year-old student from Waipahu who attended Leilehua High School. On January 14, she missed her normal bus to school. At approximately 7:15 a.m., she telephoned her boyfriend and said that she would be late. She was not seen alive again. The next morning, a passerby discovered her body in Keehi Lagoon, less than a mile from the place where Purdy had been found. Sakamoto's hands were tied behind her back, and she had been sexually assaulted and strangled. The close similarities between the two cases caused detectives to believe that a serial offender was operating on Oahu.
• Denise Hughes January 30, 1986 Moanalua or Mapunapuna drainage area: Hughes was a 21-year-old secretary who worked for a telephone company. She was married to a sailor stationed at Pearl Harbor, participated in church activities and commonly used public transportation. After eating dinner with her husband on January 29, she began traveling home while he returned to his ship. Hughes failed to arrive at work the following morning. Her death is generally recorded as January 30, although her body was not discovered until February 1. Three fishermen found her in a drainage canal connected to Moanalua Stream near Mapunapuna. Her body had been wrapped in blue plastic material, her hands were bound, and she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
• Louise Medeiros March 26, 1986 Waikele Stream area: Medeiros was 25 years old, lived in the Waipahu or Waianae area and was approximately three months pregnant. She traveled to Kauai to spend time with relatives following her mother's death. On March 26, she returned to Honolulu on a late flight and told family members that she planned to take a bus home from the airport. She disappeared after leaving the terminal. Her death is commonly placed on the night of March 26, although her decomposing body was not found until April 2. Road workers discovered her beneath or near a freeway overpass by Waikele Stream. Her hands had been tied behind her back, and the condition of the body was consistent with the pattern established in the earlier murders.
• Linda Mabel Pesce April 29, 1986 Sand Island: Pesce was a 36-year-old mother who worked in sales for a communications company. On April 29, she left work in her light-blue Toyota but never returned home. Her abandoned car was found along the Nimitz Highway viaduct near the airport. The vehicle was reportedly positioned on the shoulder, and witnesses remembered seeing a light-colored van in the area. Pesce's death is recorded as April 29, although her body was located on May 3. She was found in an isolated section of Sand Island, south of Keehi Lagoon. Her body was unclothed, her arms were tied behind her back, and she had been strangled.

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Confirmed Victims: (5)

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

Honolulu Strangler