A man has been arrested for the sexual assault and murder of a former classmate nearly 50 years ago thanks to DNA evidence.
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Sophomore Dawn Momohara, who was 16, suffered a tragic death on the second floor of Honolulu's McKinley High School in 1977, according to NBC News. She was found partially clothed, with an orange cloth tightly wrapped around her neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Unfortunately, the case ran cold for decades. Until it was revisited, and modern DNA methods were used to uncover evidence that lay undetected.
The Honolulu Police Department managed to uncover who committed this atrocious crime, Gideon Castro, who's now 66. On Tuesday, they reported to the nursing home in Utah he was staying at to make the arrest.
Lieutenant Describes How They Uncovered Momohara's Killer
A lieutenant with the department's homicide detail, Deena Thoemmes, recounted the cold case and what steps they made to catch Castro.
Thoemmes said that officers found Momohara "lying on her back, partially clothed. It appeared that she had been sexually assaulted and she was pronounced dead at the scene." Apparently, she had received a call from an unknown man earlier in the day, according to homicide detectives.
That was the last her mother heard from her before she left home.
Without the methods we have today, the detectives at the time couldn't find the killer. Disturbingly, they interviewed her classmates, including Gideon Castro, but never identified a prime suspect.
Composite sketches of a suspect, as well as their vehicle, were advertised for years, although nothing came of them. In 2019, the police revisited the case and began forensically analysing evidence.
Items recovered from the murder scene, such as a pair of blue shorts and underwear, were processed. The following year, they managed to find the DNA profile of the assaulter from sperm found on Momohara's shorts.
With such DNA evidence, Gideon was uncovered and arrested with second-degree murder. Due to combined efforts from the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, Castro's DNA profile was matched.
Thoemmes said that Castro is awaiting extradition to Honolulu.
"I want to thank all the individuals and agencies that made today's arrest possible," she said. "Thank you all for your dedication and commitment to the tireless pursuit of justice for Dawn and the Momohara family."
