Arrest Made Nearly 50 Years After Teen's Murder in Honolulu

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Almost 50 years after the chilling murder of 16-year-old Dawn Momohara at McKinley High School in Honolulu, a former schoolmate has been arrested thanks to advancements in DNA testing. On March 21, 1977, Momohara was discovered partially clothed and strangled, shocking the tight-knit community.

Gideon Castro, 66, who attended the same high school, was taken into custody at a nursing home in Utah. He has been charged with second-degree murder after DNA evidence linked him to the case, which had remained unsolved for decades. The investigation was reignited in 2019 when cold case detectives analyzed evidence collected from Momohara’s clothing, revealing critical DNA profiles of potential suspects.

Initial investigations in the 1970s had exhausted various leads without naming a suspect, and Castro had been interviewed at that time. Modern technology finally provided the breakthrough needed to match DNA samples from Castro’s family members back to evidence from the case.

Reflecting on the case's resolution, Susie Chun Oakland, a former classmate, expressed mixed emotions, saying, "I’m happy for her family that this case was resolved...but I’m sad there are so many other cases that are not.”

As the community remembers Dawn Momohara, many hope that this arrest can bring some closure to her family and friends, while also acknowledging the long-standing impact of her tragic death.

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