Co-host (4:33)

So the cheating clause is also not always enforceable.

Narrator (4:37)

No, there's lots of states who don't enforce it. California is notoriously one of them.

Co-host (4:42)

Yeah, Tea.

Narrator (4:43)

Yeah. So some states just don't like it? I guess it also could depend on the judge. But it's very interesting. Prenups are done before two people get legally married. Post nups. A lot of judges these days hate postnums. Postnums are drafted and signed after two people are legally married. And obviously with postnums it's difficult because the courts just hate it. It's more expensive, first of all, to get attorneys to draft up postnups because they have to go through all the entangled assets that you guys already collectively have. And then from there, judges don't like it because typically you're taking away the rights that people receive upon getting married. So prenups, you're modifying rights before those rights are given to you before you get those rights. Because the minute you get married, you have certain rights. So you're modifying, hey, you're not going to get this right before we get married. So you never had that right to begin with.

Co-host (5:37)

Right.

Narrator (5:37)

But then with a post nump, judges are saying, well, now you're taking away rights. And now we have to factor in, was it signed under duress? Like there could be a whole buttload of reasons why someone might have signed a postnum versus a prenup. People think prenups are done with much more clear headed minds and space. I don't know if that's true, but a lot of attorneys will argue. I mean, yeah, definitely, if you don't have a prenup, get a postnum. Those are always encouraged. But if you have to pick between the two, if you're thinking about getting a prenup or a postnup, get a prenup. Nump. It's so much easier, more affordable legally and more likely to stand up in court. And this specific couple, a young couple in Hawaii, did a very odd postnum that I really don't know how it would hold up in court. It most likely is not going to stand. I mean, even though it has been heavily criticized. Not in family court, though. In criminal court. The postnum between a Hawaiian couple states that in the event of a divorce, the father will get all the assets and the house, the money, the cars, full custody of their daughter. And the mother gets nothing. She gets zero. She doesn't walk out with a dime. And the mother is no longer, ever, ever, ever, ever allowed to visit psychics. That's written into the postnup. If she visits a psychic, a divorce will be had.

Co-host (6:55)

That is crazy. That's likely not enforceable though.

Narrator (6:58)

Right? Okay. Oh, and she can never see or speak to her fertility specialist. Ever again. Why would that be in a postnup agreement, Especially when this woman's fertility specialist is a man named John Takuhara, a local acupuncturist who recently helped multiple couples conceive? What does John have anything to do with anything? And what does it mean when, just two weeks after this document is signed by this Hawaiian couple, the fertility specialist John Takuhara is found killed? This is the case of John Takuhara. We would like to thank today's sponsors who have made it possible for Rotten Mango to support the Hawaiian Council, one of the leading nonprofits whose mission is to enhance the cultural, economic and community development of native Hawaiians. This episode's partnerships have also made it possible to support Rotten Mango's growing team. We'd also like to thank you guys for your continued support. As always, full show notes are available@roottenmangopodcast.com Today's case involves mentions of infertility, infertility treatment, and as well as extramarital affairs during very vulnerable, sensitive times. Please take care and watch with discretion. And with that being said, another note, statements and quotes may be condensed for brevity. So with that being said, let's get into it. January 13, 2022 is not the best time to be in certain parts of Hawaii there is something called a lava lake. It's very rare. There's only like 10 documented cases of persistent lava lakes in the entire world. These are different from pools of lava or even lava ponds. Essentially it's a crater. It's a dip in a volcano. It could be on the side, it could be at the top. And it's created this almost in ground pool structure to be filled with lava. And every day it just burns lava and it's connected to a continuous supply of lava and it's never gonna stop burning. It's like a death swimming pool and it's always moving because there's lava being pumped into the lake, if you will. And the top layer looks like it's cooled down. So there's almost like this crusty looking substance covering the red. It looks like if you were to get a Chicago deep dish pizza, put it on a high broil setting, you've got that crispy layer on top, but the minute that you plunge your finger in, you're gonna get burned because that mozzarella sauce has not cooled down and it's very wet inside and the depth is visual. When you see videos of the lava lakes at night, it looks like the center of hell. It's so bright, it just has A red, angry glow. You can't even stand near the lava lake's edge without specialized heat resistant gear because your skin is going to melt off. It's going to just be sludge. The lava itself is going to be from 1400 to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. I can't even give you a comparison, but I don't know a single person who doesn't complain when it's like 88 degrees outside. It's deadly. And it's even more dangerous because even if you were to kill someone before they fall into a lava lake, like a movie falling through the volcano fog, the smoke is going to eviscerate airways before they even make contact with the lava lake. January 13, 2022. The Hawaiian volcano Observatory gets word that all the monitoring equipment that they set up to monitor one of the lava lakes on the island is about to get covered in lava. So they have to do the quickest rescue mission for their devices. Thankfully, they pull it together and nobody is harmed. But that is not even the biggest news.

Co-host (10:35)

Why are the device going to be covered though?

Narrator (10:37)

The lava's overflowing.

Co-host (10:38)

Oh, I see, I see.

Narrator (10:39)

And that's not even the biggest news. I mean, this was like a big deal. But that doesn't even make the biggest news. The biggest news on the island that day, January 13, 2022, is something happened to the healer. The healer makes it sound overtly spiritual, but if you have tension, if you have chronic pain, which a lot of people have, you have to go to the healer, and they just call him the healer. He doesn't call himself the healer. He's not like a cult leader. They call him the healer because he's just that good. They're talking about John Takahara, the best acupuncturist in the entire island, the whole area. One person writes in a review, John Takahara works miracles. I've been seeing him for close to a year for traditional Japanese acupuncture. I had constant pain in my back, and with his treatment, I can kind of function again. My quality of life has gotten so much better. I'm a person who hates needles, by the way, but I hate taking medications more. So coming from a person that hates needles and pain, you can do it. You barely notice the needles going in. John, is that good? You will feel so much better after just one treatment that is going to keep you coming back. Whatever you've got going on, pain, fatigue, stress, depression, headaches, sleeplessness, etc. There is relief. Moreover, there is also designated parking spots for the building. So parking will never be an issue. Community members say he really was the healer. He was healing people and people who had pain, discomfort. He's the type of acupuncturist. If you show up at his door in pain, you have no money. He's gonna take you in, he's gonna take good care of you, and he's not gonna ask for payment.

Co-host (12:06)

Wow.

Narrator (12:07)

That morning of January 13, 2022, 8:00am, an older woman with silver hair gets out of the driver's seat of her car. She's parked directly in front of John Takahara's acupuncture clinic. And she's not here for acupuncture, although she looks like she probably could be. She wasn't able to sleep much last night, and she's walking a little bit slow. She's a little bit elderly. And something just very weird happened last night. Her son was supposed to show up for dinner. She made a hot plate for him, and it's just been sitting there. He never came home for dinner. I mean, he doesn't live with her, but he visits her for dinner, and he's always on time. He doesn't show up. He's not responding to any of her messages. She thought maybe he forgot, maybe he decided to eat dinner with his girlfriend instead. But he's not the type to not tell his mom about that. She gets out of her parked car, opens the door to the acupuncture clinic, and laying in a pool of blood next to the front desk is John Takuhara, the healer, and he's been murdered. Someone walked into the clinic, the acupuncture clinic, and shot him four times in the head. But who the hell would want a healer dead? There's a few different ways acupuncture can be explained. The first, more traditional way is the idea that energy flows through the body. So there's 2 chi. The energy is called chi, and there's 14 different energy channels inside of our bodies. When one of those energy channels becomes blocked or imbalanced, of course you're going to feel pain, which could explain why certain illnesses, like you feel like you try all this modern medicine and you can't fix the pain, it's because you're not fixing the root of the problem, which is your chi is blocked. Acupuncture aims to help unblock and rebalance the energy by stimulating specific points along certain energy channels. Then there's the more biomedical perspective. But here's the very interesting thing. Both things lead to the same place. So someone can say oh, the chi is blocked here, so I'm going to put a needle here. And then the biomedical perspective, which is simply when you insert needles, it can activate local receptors and nerve fibers, which could do one of few things. It could do nothing. Or it could release endorphins, which are natural painkillers that your body produces. It could also help modulate cortisol, the natural stress hormone. Or. Or it could be like, okay, to put it for like the skincare girls, micro needling on the face. Why are people stabbing their face with needles? Because when you create these micro super tiny traumatic environments, it signals to the body to recruit immune cells.

Co-host (14:31)

To heal it.

Narrator (14:31)

Yes, to heal it. To release biomolecules that promote tissue repair, which just doesn't just repair the tiny micro traumatic incisions, but also whatever was bringing you pain in the first place. I mean, this practice has been around for at least 3,000 something years. The needles are not painful. I mean, once they're inserted, you usually have to keep them in for 30 minutes. They're about the width of a tiny hair. And people say you can't even feel it going in. And if you do, it's kind of like a. Like a warm sensation.

Co-host (14:58)

You tried it, right? Yeah, years ago.

Narrator (15:00)

Yeah. My mom goes to an acupuncturist. She loves it. I'm not the biggest fan because I get really anxious, but people love it. And I will say, because it's rooted in Eastern tradition, there's definitely a lot of skepticism and opinions about it in the West. Opinions range from the efficacy to the probability. I mean, people will say things like, it was okay, it got rid of my headache for the day. It's kind of comparable to like a deep tissue massage. Other people will say, it cured my chronic pain and that could not be fixed by anything. I got surgery and it didn't do anything, but acupuncture saved my life. So it's like a vast range. I think the main reason people don't believe in acupuncture is because they hold it to a really high standard. Just like how most medications and probably even surgeries will not cure people of chronic pain or ailments. Acupuncture should be held with the same regard. But I will argue for acupuncture in the sense of out of all the things that someone could recommend to another person to help remedy chronic pain, acupuncture probably has the least side effects versus opioids versus painkillers. You know what I mean?

Co-host (16:07)

It seems like, I mean, maybe not painkiller.

Narrator (16:10)

No, even painkillers, they have crazy side effects. Which I'm not saying you shouldn't use painkillers, but I'm saying you know the side effects.

Co-host (16:18)

Okay, take on my comment.

Narrator (16:19)

Yeah, if you had to recommend something that has, like, the least probability of harming someone to just test out, acupuncture could be one of those, provided that you go to a good practitioner. A lot of people agree it's not the worst thing to try out if you've already tried out a lot of things. But it's very interesting. A lot of acupuncturists actually say they're always the last resort. They say patients will come in every day, and the acupuncture clinic is the last stop before the surgeon. Before they're like, okay, if this doesn't work, I'm getting surgery. Or it's the first stop right after surgery. Because they're like, hey, so that surgery didn't do shit. They're usually at a dead road. They've tried 12 other things before this. They don't believe in acupuncture, but here they are. They're like, I've tried everything. Sometimes it changes their lives, sometimes it doesn't. And it does seem like there is a growing trend for acupuncture being used as fertility treatment. I'm not a medical professional, but recently I've been listening when I was going in my deep dive. And I don't want to name the people because I think all of them have been in scandals, but a lot of everyone's in a scandal. Everyone's in the files. A lot of doctors, big name doctors who had podcast. Oh, I'm not talking about that doctor. I'm talking about, like, Andrew Huberman. He was not in the files, but he was. I don't know. There was something with him, I think. Whatever. He was also even talking about how there have been recent studies that do show a strong link between acupuncture and fertility. So a lot of Western doctors are like, okay, we were wrong. Like, this is not some voodoo Chinese shit. We thought it was like, maybe it actually works. There have been recent studies funded by the National Institute of Health that show links between acupuncture and hormone health. So they say that acupuncture helps with blood flow, which in turn helps with the health of the ovaries. Additionally, on the male side, apparently there are a lot of clinical studies that have shown that acupuncture can help with sperm quality and quantity, but they don't stick it where you think they'll Stick it so you don't have to freak out. You can just go, you have a good time. One acupuncturist website reads, ultra thin acupuncture needles will be applied to specific points in the body, usually like near the pelvic area but not there. And it reduces stress, balances hormones, improves blood flow. And you're not supposed to do this before ivf. So they're not saying this is IVF replacement. They're saying actually the best time to do acupuncture for fertility is three months before your IVF round because it helps blood flow, helps the health of your eggs, the quantity of the sperm. So like three months before you're trying to conceive or before ivf, and it really helps increase your probability is the belief out there. And it's interesting because acupuncture, they alternate on the different weeks of the menstrual cycle, so they're very in tune with the hormones. It's not just like, hey, woman, sit down. It's like, oh, when was your last period? Okay, now let's fine tune with what we think the body needs depending on the cycle phase. John Takahara was an acupuncturist that had success in fertility treatments. It has been reported that many of his clients came to see him with fertility concerns and they were able to conceive after seeing him. So why would someone want to kill someone like John Takuhara, who is out here helping people create families. From radio silence? Directors Matt Bettinelli Olpin and Tyler Gillette of Scream and Abigail fame. Ready or not two Here I Come picks up exactly where the first film left off. Our heroine, Grace Battle, worn and drenched in blood, stumbles out of the carnage thinking she's finally free. She's not. Surviving has made her the target of a mysterious cabal of eccentric, power hungry, lethal billionaire families. When her estranged sister is pulled into their trap, the two must fight the High Council for the seat that controls the world. Double or nothing. Ready or not to Here I Come is only in theaters March 20th. You know that feeling when you come home late from work and those puppy dog eyes just pierce right through your soul? Or when you're packing for a trip and your cat refuses to leave your suitcase? Yeah, we've all been there. Pet parent guilt is real. And you know what? It's completely normal. That's exactly why Hill's Pet Nutrition exists. They understand that being a pet parent means being human. With all our imperfections and daily juggling acts. Hill's science led nutrition helps you give more love than humanly possible. Whether it's those long work days or trying to balance attention between multiple pets. Hill's Pet Nutrition gets it. They've created science based nutrition that supports your pet's lifelong health so you can feel confident even when life gets hectic because you're only human. There's Hills Science does more Ready to let go of the guilt? Find the right food@hillspet.com podcast that's hillspet.com podcast there is something I want to briefly talk about called the Shedding. And no, this isn't some new thriller streaming this weekend. In fact, it can be even more unsettling than a movie because you can't just turn it off. At first it's nothing. Just a few strands on a pillow or some extra strands caught in your hairbrush. You tell yourself it is normal. Everybody loses some hair, right? But then it's not just a few anymore. It's everywhere. Your shower drain, your clothes, your floor. Pantene's advanced anti hair loss system is here to stand between you and the shedding. Pantene's trusted anti hair loss system is ready to take on hair thinning and hair loss once and for all. The all new Pantene Pro V Abundant and Strong Collection is a three three step shampoo, conditioner and serum powered by science and enriched by antioxidants. When used together, it reduces hair loss by 85% and leaves hair looking and just feeling thicker. The big ending stronger and denser hair after just six weeks. Oh, and there's no sequel because the story ends here. Shop Pantene Abundant and Strong Collection now at all stores nationwide. When the authorities get to the acupuncture clinic, the first thing they do is comb through the office and later all the security cameras outside. There's no cameras inside the office, but there are some street level cameras from the nearby businesses and they just keep looking and there's nothing crazy going on. It's a normal day. There's a lot of business, there's a lot of people walking around. Except this one person stands out to them. It's like a weird person. They keep seeing him walking in circles around the block and it's not like they're standing and pacing in front of the clinic, but their movements just seem unnatural. So a few things stand out. The weather in Hawaii. January really warm, high of 79. This person is wearing an all black outfit, long black pants, long black jacket, carrying one of those brown paper shopping bags from a grocery store and a big white bucket hat that covers their entire face. You can't see the person's face. You can't even tell if this person is a man or a woman. You can just tell they're weird. They first appear on cameras a few blocks away from John's clinic. They're walking with determination for a good chunk of the way. Where they're going, we don't know yet, but it seems like they know. But the moment that they're in front of John's office, there's this weird moment where they, like, turn around and then walk a few paces away from the office and then turn back around and walk towards the office once more.

Co-host (23:36)

Like they can't decide where to go.

Narrator (23:39)

Yeah.

Co-host (23:39)

What to do.

Narrator (23:41)

But they were walking with determination all the other times. And then suddenly they're like, maybe I should turn around. Maybe I shouldn't turn around.

Co-host (23:48)

Yeah, yeah. Is his face showing at all on in the camera?

Narrator (23:52)

No, no face. They're presumably inside the clinic for 48 seconds. That's what the police have put out where it is believed that John is killed and ambushed. There's no signs of a fight, and it seems like whoever this was took John completely by surprise. Wow. Now, I don't know what they would have done if John was with a patient. I don't know. But they just walk out of the clinic 48 seconds later and then walk away. There are two interesting moments that are captured when they walk off. First, there's this seemingly anxious moment. So the whole way that they're going towards the clinic, they're determined. Their fast, brisk walk. And then all of a sudden, they u turn and then u turn it back. And then they enter the clinic 48 seconds later, they walk back out. Same walk. They seem casual. And then they have this anxious moment where they open up the brown grocery bag and then look, you know, kind of it's like when you walk through the airport and you randomly have a moment of panic and you zip open your bag and you're like, oh, okay, yeah, my passport is exactly where I saw it two seconds ago. But then you do it again and again and again. It's kind of like that. It doesn't look like, oh, let me just casually open this bag and see if I bought my sour candy.

Co-host (24:59)

He's like, open it. Oh, my God, is still here.

Narrator (25:02)

Yes, it looks like that. And more importantly, there is this moment when this individual in question is walking across the street and the wind hits. It's like the gentlest blow of wind and the white bucket hat flies off the person's head and lands directly in the middle of the street. And they don't stop. They don't stop. They don't pick it up. They don't u turn later. They just keep walking. That's crazy. Their hat is on the ground getting run over by cars. It's almost like they don't feel the hat flying off of them. But how do you not feel your bucket hat blowing off in the wind?

Co-host (25:38)

So is his face out there, then?

Narrator (25:40)

Well, how do we know it's him? Because underneath, there's long hair. But that long hair, police believe might be a wig.

Co-host (25:51)

Like how long? Like your. Your hair? Long?

Narrator (25:53)

A little bit shorter. Mine's a little long, but a little shorter.

Co-host (25:56)

Okay, and what color is it?

Narrator (25:58)

Blondish, but it's very clear. It's like a wig, right?

Co-host (26:02)

Is it, like, a woman's hair?

Narrator (26:04)

It looks like it's, like, long, but tied. Tied up. Okay, so is it a woman wearing a wig? Is it a man wearing a wig? But that wig might be the reason that they don't feel the hat blowing off.

Co-host (26:17)

Ah, I see.

Narrator (26:19)

But that. That hat is the key to a lot of questions. It could have this individual's DNA. It could be a very specific brand that only 89 people on the island have. Order this hat online. Everything else at the crime scene doesn't have a clear lead. This is the closest that authorities are going to get to whoever shot John in the head four times. Ten days after John's murder, they tracked down the white bucket hat, and it is now sitting at the very edge of a man without a home's camp. That's crazy. Just, like, squeezed on in the side next to his tent. He said, yeah, picked it up on the street. I wore it once, and then I never touched it again. This hat is going to be a very, very big problem in the murder trial for who murdered John Takuhara. Eric and Joyce Thompson are high school sweethearts turned millionaires. Pretty much their entire lives, they've been with each other, and now they have a daughter together. Eric and Joyce have a daughter and a very strange postnup. Like, you don't just wake up from slumber one morning and decide that life cannot go on without the signing of a legal docum that forbids one of your party members from seeing psychics. What the hell is happening inside the Thompson home? Eric could tell that something was off with Joyce. It's not as subtle as other couples. So some people say that the signs are barely there, and when they come up, it's so small. That you try to explain it away and laugh it off. Like when you're driving in the car and your partner turns to you and they're like, oh, should we go there for dinner next week? You're like, where? That restaurant that we just drove by. Don't you love it? I've literally never been there my entire life. Sure you have. You said you liked it. I never said that. Okay, it's weird you've been together for so long. But the only explanation is like, maybe he genuinely got confused from a different restaurant, even though none of the other restaurants sound the same or have similar locations or even types of cuisines. But maybe they're stressed out from work, or suddenly their phone is always on silent when that's not their normal pattern. And they always turn it down, face down on the table, no matter where they are. Or they've disconnected it from all the cars, suddenly their airplay is not connected. Their Bluetooth to the car is not connected, which is really odd. But, like, maybe their phone reset it and they just haven't had time to reconnect it.

Co-host (28:35)

These are so specific, it's crazy.

Narrator (28:38)

Someone said it was actually the strange dropping of the word we. Like, when we would go and hang out with family and friends, it was always like, oh, we haven't thought about that. We should try that. We should go there one day. But suddenly that we is gone. Oh, I should try that. I haven't thought about that.

Co-host (28:53)

That's crazy. Are these, like, real things that people picked up on?

Narrator (28:56)

Yes.

Co-host (28:57)

From their cheating partner?

Narrator (28:58)

Yeah. All the small, subtle signs, but, you know, these are very small things that you don't pick up on until they pile up. For Eric, the details were more in his face. He was on a work trip, and his wife Joyce is constantly going to family dinners that he's a part of because he's her husband. So, like, he's family. Right. He's like the father of their child. So he's family. Right. But then she would explain to him, oh, it's just me and my siblings and my side of the family, not you. All of a sudden you want to have separated family. It doesn't make sense. But then during a work trip, Eric gets a notification on their security cameras in their multi million dollar on the water mansion in Hawaii that there's movement. Joyce is caught on the cameras leaving the house alone. That means their young daughter is inside the house alone. And Joyce is leaving the house alone. And she's gone for like 40 minutes. But where would she need to go? That is so important that she leaves their young daughter.

Co-host (29:52)

How old?

Narrator (29:53)

Like four years. Three years old.

Co-host (29:55)

Oh, right, right, right.

Narrator (29:56)

Well, she's gone from the house. Oh, no. I'm so sorry. Like a year old.

Co-host (30:00)

A year old?

Narrator (30:01)

Yeah. She's gone from the house for about 40 minutes.

Co-host (30:05)

What time is she leaving?

Narrator (30:06)

This is, like, in the morning. So presumably the baby is asleep. And he says, I was just kind of scratching my head, like, where are you going? And where's our daughter? When he gets back from his work trip, Eric confronts Joyce, and they spend the entire night fighting. And the next day, she confesses that she's having an affair. Eric says, quote, I was shocked. And then I was like, was this with, you know, like, the people that you're having dinner with? Like, who are you going on these dinners with? And she said, no, it was with John Takahara. And I was like, who? And she's like, you know, Dr. John. And I was like, oh, shit. The massage guy. That's what he calls John Takahara. John Takahara is the man that Joyce went to to try and help her and Eric conceive a child when she was struggling with fertility. Then after giving birth to their daughter, she started having postpartum, or at least that's what I think Eric describes it as like, she's always wanted to be a mom, but then she was feeling not like she wanted to be a mom, which sounds exactly like postpartum. And she went back to seeing him, and clearly an affair started. How did Eric feel about that? He says it was just like. Just, like, didn't make any sense. Like, not only why, but, like, how. How logistically could this happen? I had no. I mean, prior to that week, there was, like, zero suspicion, like I never would have expected.

Co-host (31:27)

So John calls him the massage guy, right? Eric calls John, Eric calls John.

Narrator (31:32)

Is.

Co-host (31:32)

Does John do massage or only just acupuncture? Just. Okay. Okay, I see.

Narrator (31:38)

Yeah. Oh, also, I think it was probably a tough spot, because I wonder if maybe perhaps Eric felt like he's in a more financially stable point in his life than John Takuhara. And John Takuhara is 10 years older than both of them because him and Joyce met in high school.

Co-host (31:55)

Wait, who? John is 10 years older than Eric.

Narrator (31:58)

Eric and Joyce. Eric and Joyce are the same age? Yeah.

Co-host (32:01)

How old are they?

Narrator (32:02)

They're probably in there, like, when this is unfolding. Late 20s, early 30s. What?

Co-host (32:07)

They're young.

Narrator (32:08)

They're young and they're. He's a millionaire.

Co-host (32:10)

What? What?

Narrator (32:11)

What?

Co-host (32:11)

What did they do?

Narrator (32:12)

He's the bathtub guy. So if you are not able bodied or for more elderly people in the island, he will specialize bathtubs that are easy to get in and out of so that they can take baths independently.

Co-host (32:26)

Uh huh.

Narrator (32:26)

Yeah. So he does these custom bathtub builds and he does really well for himself. I mean, they live in like this two and some change, million dollar house on the water. Wow.

Co-host (32:36)

Okay.

Narrator (32:37)

And he says, I was sad at first just, you know, because my suspicions were confirmed. I was pissed. Like, why would you. Why would this happen? Like, what, what did I do to deserve this? And like, it was just really confusing. Eric says the next few months they're just dedicated to rebuilding this trust. The postnump is obviously part of it. And according to Eric, Joyce is the one that suggested it to give Eric peace of mind. She's like, hey, if you feel stressed about it, like we've been dating since high school, I'll sign a postnup where you get everything if we divorce. Eric says, Joyce, I mean, she's really great. I mean, I couldn't have expected or asked for more of her. I could tell she's fully committed to making the family work. The affair, it was in the rear view mirror, more or less. Just more planning for our futures. That's what we were doing. What did they plan exactly? Because two weeks after the signing of the postnum, John is dead. The police go through John Takuhara's phone and they find thousands of messages. And if they follow each and every lead that's in it, it's going to lead them to at least three different men. John demarco. I'm just going to call him demarco to not get confused with the victim. John Takahara. Demarco is a man who looks like he gets sunburnt easily and owns way too many Hawaiian shirts. But demarco has a lot of reason to want John Takahara dead. John is demarco's other John. He is the reason that demarco and his wife divorced. Demarco's ex wife had gone to see John the acupuncturist, which started this passionate affair that DeMarco eventually found out about. And he's honest with detectives. He says, I was super pissed, but also I said kind of like, good riddance, he could have her. And I just wanted to focus on my kids and myself. I knew that I've never been able to trust her again because that was just a huge part of me, you know, as a person. I was just like, good riddance. And then I called John up, and we weren't yelling or anything. I'm not a fighting type. Demarco's ex wife actually stays with John Takahara a while after their divorce, and John becomes like a secondary father figure to their kids for a little bit. But that was, like, years ago. So DeMarco is like, there's no reason for me to want to kill John Takahara. It's not like I was still with my ex wife. Why would I want to kill him? At least that's what he says.

Co-host (34:47)

Is John still with the ex wife then?

Narrator (34:49)

No.

Co-host (34:50)

Oh, they also broke up.

Narrator (34:51)

Yeah. The police keep digging, and that lands them at the door of a man named Daryl Fujita. Daryl is a man who could safely. You could safely assume that he's been scorned. Daryl's ex girlfriend broke up with him for John Takuhara. We don't know if that was an affair, but she breaks up with him and starts dating John Takuhara. Then her and John break up, and she goes back to Daryl and they start dating again. Okay. Then she breaks up with him and was the current girlfriend of John Takuhara when he passed. So Daryl has been left by his girlfriend twice. They also share a child together. And it is also believed that he. She went to John Takahara for fertility treatments as well and other acupuncture services. But he's been left by his girlfriend twice because of John Takahara. And one could maybe assume that she was having an affair. We don't know. And it's not like Daryl and his girlfriend are. We're in this casual fling. They have a house. They have a child together. But he claims Darla is like, there is no bad blood. None, none, none, none, none, none. The police are like, can we search your phone? He's like, okay. So this is how I think the preceding conversation unfolded. Can we go through your phone? Absolutely. But I should let you know I just reset the entire phone. So there's really nothing on there. I reformatted it. I reset it. There's nothing.

Co-host (36:14)

That's crazy.

Narrator (36:16)

Why would you do that? Yeah, why not? He literally says later during the trial, he's like, I mean, why? It's not weird to reformat your phone unless you have something to hide.

Co-host (36:27)

Yeah.

Narrator (36:28)

And then he immediately hates his words because he said, it's not weird unless you have something to hide. And then he's like, I mean, not that I had anything. And then he just is, like, fumbling, bumbling. Yeah.

Co-host (36:40)

Oh, man.

Narrator (36:41)

Then there's Eric Thompson, the bathtub guy. Okay. Eric and Joyce Thompson. You know John. This is how they figure out. Police find out that John has an Instagram account that only has one follower. And this one followers name is Little Squeeze Me. And there are messages, DMs between the two of them. And when authorities tracked down the owner of that Instagram account, they find that it belongs to Joyce Thompson. Joyce Thompson is Eric Thompson's wife and she's having an affair with John Takuhara. The affair lasted two months, which seems like a short amount of time. Not that cheating is judged by the scale of duration, but they were connected very quickly. There's at least 5,600 messages between the two of them, John the acupuncturist and Joyce the wife, within the span of one month. That's just one of the two months that they were having an affair. There are messages from July where they seem to end things. Joyce tells John that her husband Eric found out and that she doesn't want to end things with Eric. She doesn't want to be with John. John was actually ready for a committed relationship. He was telling her, like, if you leave your husband, like, I want to be committed. But she said, I'm not going to leave my husband.

Co-host (37:47)

But he had a girlfriend too.

Narrator (37:49)

He did not at. Well, we don't know if he was seeing her at the same time or like he saw her right after because after they end the affair, there's like nine months before he dies. Oh, that's what's weird. Yeah.

Co-host (38:05)

Wait, but the. This was nine months.

Narrator (38:08)

Yeah. So this. They end the affair. July, he. Okay, not nine months. Six months. He passes away January.

Co-host (38:15)

Oh, okay, interesting. So during that six month period, nothing is happening. And then at the end of the sixth month, she offered to do a post. Nup. And then he died.

Narrator (38:30)

Yeah, they signed.

Co-host (38:31)

There's like a cooling period of six months of nothing is happening.

Narrator (38:34)

But like, I don't know if she offered the postnum near towards January or towards July. I do know that probably the drafting of it would take a long time. Since they've been together since high school. I wonder if there's a lot of assets and they have a successful business and then they. I don't know. I actually don't know how long that would take, but maybe not six months. Lawyers are pretty quick.

Co-host (38:58)

Yeah.

Narrator (38:59)

And so as she's breaking up with him, John is asking if he can still keep in contact through her siblings. And she's like, no, no contact. It's just too much. Interestingly enough, One month later, in August, there's one last phone call. A FaceTime from Joyce the wife, to John the acupuncturist. And he doesn't pick up. By all appearances, one could imagine that their affair is over, the relationship is done. And there's a ton of photos that were exchanged during that affair. Intimate photos, lots of messages. And they did say things like, I love you to each other. Yeah. And the whole thing is made trickier by the fact that Joyce and Eric, they first bring John into their lives when she's trying to get pregnant. Joyce had suffered a miscarriage. Her friend recommends her to go see John the acupuncturist, and she gets pregnant. Soon after, successfully gives birth. And then she's struggling with postpartum. And then she goes to see John again. And that's when the affair starts. Some people think that perhaps it's easier for Eric the husband, to forgive Joyce, knowing that she was dealing with postpartum. Like, maybe in his mind, this is his high school sweetheart. She's never done anything like this before. And she had this experience where all of her brain chemicals and her hormones are off balance, and she's in this vulnerable space. And I'm not the one justifying it, but some netizens are saying maybe he could forgive her because of all of those reasons. And he also saw a fault in himself, perhaps because the way that he initially described what was going on with Joyce after giving birth, it seemed like maybe he did not understand postpartum. He just seemed confused. Like, you've always wanted to be a mom, so now you're a mom. Why aren't you happy? Like that was his confusion. So maybe because would Eric really kill John Takahara nine months after the affair is already over? Besides, that night that John was killed, Eric claims that he has an alibi. He was busy dumping construction material in his truck. And are we sure that these are the only leads? What about the backpack? So right next to John Takahara's body was a backpack, and inside of it is a bundle of cash. $4,000 in cash wrapped in a piece of paper that has the word herbs written on there. What does that mean? And what about the psychic? Psychics have a long history of reading relationships and sometimes sending people off into fits of paranoia. Like they will tell you how your relationships will go based off of your reading. This psychic that Joyce apparently went to encouraged her to have an affair with John Takahara, told her it's the right thing to do.

Co-host (41:38)

That's insane.

Narrator (41:39)

At least that's what Joyce claims. But I'm not sure if any of them predicted, though, that right around Eric and Joyce's wedding anniversary, Eric Thompson would be arrested for murdering John Takuhara. The evidence against Eric Thompson is aggressively thin. And that's not to say that I don't personally think that he's guilty or that he did not do this, just that the evidence. Evidence itself is thin. There are really only a few elements. The truck, the hat, the fire. Let's start with the truck. A white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck is seen driving in circles around the business just minutes before John is killed. Side note, authorities believe that this is a 2014-2016 pickup truck. They find 53 vehicles registered in that area with that same pickup truck manufactured in that timeframe. They talked to 52 of the owners, and all of them have alibis, and only one of them is connected to anyone that has any connection with John Takuhara, and that is Eric Thompson. Furthermore, an odd detail is Eric would always have this silver toolbox on the back of his truck. It's like a huge trunk. Do you know what I'm talking about? Some pickup trucks, like, near the. Near where the passengers sit, but on the truck, there's this huge silver box.

Co-host (42:50)

Like the toolbox?

Narrator (42:51)

Yeah, it's like a toolbox that stays on there. And he always had it on there. And his neighbor's ring cameras caught him pulling out the day before John Takahara is killed. That toolbox is gone. He took it off. Why did he take it off? He says it was to load construction equipment, but the authorities are like, we never saw you ever take it off.

Co-host (43:09)

Yeah.

Narrator (43:11)

Then that car is seen driving around. We don't have, like, the exact license plate matchup, so it's hard to confirm nail on the head that that's him, but that's what authorities believe. Then there's the figure in the white bucket hat. Why do people think that this random person walking around is a person of interest compared to everybody else? Well, they just look nervous. It seems like they walked in the direction of the acupuncture clinic, and then they walked away after 48 seconds. It seems like this is the killer. Right. This is the only way that makes sense. Nobody else entered the clinic. It's gotta be the white bucket hat. But how do we know that this white bucket hat is Eric Thompson? There's a video of the white bucket hat walking, and he swings his right arm a lot.

Co-host (43:50)

Okay.

Narrator (43:51)

Then there's a video of Eric walking, and he swings his right arm a Lot. It sounds circumstantial. Super circumstantial. But the authorities will say it's something that you can't even try to fix. For example, in the CIA, it's reported that operatives, when they go undercover and they work in a. In environments where they can't give away their gate, they will put a small piece of gravel in only one shoe to alter how they walk, because it's something that you can't even think about fixing so constantly. And since we're listing out all the strange things, it does get worse. After Eric gets home for about three, about five minutes, his backyard is all lit up. The neighbor's camera, it's like orange. He's burning something. Later, during the police search, they find a bucket in a wheelbarrow that shows something was burnt in there. Police argue that he's getting rid of the murder weapon, which they believe is a ghost gun, like a 3D printed gun, because they haven't been able to find this murder weapon.

Co-host (44:40)

Crazy.

Narrator (44:40)

He's cleaning up the crime scene. Eric argues he was lighting up tiki torches because he was out there with his daughter and there's a bunch of bugs. So he's lighting up tiki torches. Within a few hours, Eric leaves the house again. And this time his white pickup truck has a steel toolbox back on there like it always has. And he was like, oh, yeah, I was going out for more work. But allegedly, one of the messages between Joyce and John the acupuncturist. Joyce is warning him that she cannot be with him. She cannot leave her husband, she cannot leave their daughter. And also, Eric might kill you.

Co-host (45:15)

Like actually warning him that Eric's gonna kill him. Or is it like, oh, no, if he finds out he's gonna kill you?

Narrator (45:21)

We don't know. Others are defending Eric. They say that video of the white bucket hat, we don't even know if that's a man or a woman. How can you say it's Eric Thompson? When the hat blows off, there's a wig. But that so called wig is never found. Some people have also resorted to victim blaming, saying things, wig is burned. Burned, yeah.

Co-host (45:41)

That's very easy to burn, isn't it?

Narrator (45:44)

But wouldn't there be strong smells?

Co-host (45:47)

I mean, if they live in a big waterfront house, there's like so much space.

Narrator (45:55)

That's true. Okay. But others have resorted to victim blaming. Some say that an acupuncturist is actually kind of like a physician. A physician holds immense power. This is an online comment. The inherent trust. Trust placed in them by patients who are often vulnerable or in distress. This creates a profound imbalance of power where genuine consent becomes murky and the risk of exploitation is high. It's not just unprofessional, it's a cause for license revocation in most states. One attorney who analyzed the case writes, despite specializing in fertility treatments, a field that demands the highest level of professional boundaries, Mr. Tokahara engaged in sexual relationships with three different patients, a fact confirmed and uncontested in open court. It's hard to grasp how such clear violations were overlooked. An honest reckoning might have prevented a tragic ending, but also, I don't know if that's rights to kill anybody. But Eric and his family would say that Eric would not kill John. That is not in his nature. And let's say in some crazy world he did, this would not have been the time. They say Eric and Joyce were actually making amends after the affair. They were not fighting. They were actually using it to reflect with Eric, realizing that he was spending too much time working and not spending enough time with his young family that he desperately wanted so badly. But I don't know. That's what family is saying. And they're saying six months after the affair ended, what motive would Eric have? Regardless, Eric Thompson is charged. They're gonna go ahead with the trial, and he is able to post a $1 million bond and gets released from jail three hours after being charged. It's 2026, and if you're still paying rent without Bilt, it's time for a change. Some of the biggest monthly payments for most people is rent. Hundreds if you're lucky, but usually thousands of dollars gone from your bank account. No points, no rewards, no redeemable offers. BILT is the loyalty program for renters that rewards you for your biggest monthly expense. Rent. With bilt, every rent payment earns you points. That can be used towards flights, hotels, Lyft rides, Amazon.com purchases, and so much more. And here's something to get excited about. BILT members can now earn points on mortgage payments for the first time. That means you can get rewarded wherever you live and unlock exclusive benefits from more than 45,000 restaurants, fitness studios, pharmacies, and other neighborhood partners. It is simple. Paying rent is better with bilt, and now owning a home can be better with bilt, too. Earn rewards and get something back wherever you live. Join the loyalty program for renters at joinbilt.com mango that's J-O-I-N B I-L-T.com mango, make sure to use our URL so they know we sent you. Timing is everything, and when an opportunity presents itself, hesitation can cost more than expected. Prime is built for people who don't want to hear Too late With Prime, Fast Free delivery makes it possible to act the moment inspiration strikes did you have a sudden realization you were born to be a painter? Well, easels and paintbrushes can arrive fast enough for your artist era to start tomorrow. Need smocks, drop cloths and frames? Get em delivered fast. How fast? Like turning your bedroom into a gallery ready space by the weekend Fast Prime's fast and reliable delivery comes through when it matters most. Whether you need towels and umbrellas for a last minute beach trip, favorite snacks for in laws who show up unannounced, or a gift for your sister's birthday that you almost forgot. Let's face it, the real problem isn't waiting, it's missing the moment entirely. Fast Free Delivery. It's on Prime. Visit Amazon.comprime to get more out of whatever you're into. This is a paid ad by BetterHelp. February rolls around with all the hearts, roses and chocolates and suddenly there is this pressure to have everything tied up in a perfect bow. But here's the thing. No matter where you are on this romance journey, single dating, taking a break, focusing on yourself therapy can actually help you sort through it all. BetterHelp won't fix your love life overnight, but it can help you understand what you actually want from a relationship. What patterns keep showing up, why certain things bother you, and most importantly, it takes some of that crushing pressure off of yourself. BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform and they do the heavy lifting for you. No endless searching for the right therapist, and thanks to their industry leading match fulfillment rate, they usually nail it on the first try. Plus, you can feel good knowing every BetterHelp therapist is fully qualified and works according to a strict code of conduct. Everyone is still finding their way. Find yours and feel lighter. Sign up and get 10% off@betterhelp.com rotten that's betterhelp.com rotten. There are a few ways a lot of defense attorneys would have gone about arguments in court. The first could have been it's a crime of passion. You're in severe emotional distress. Distress is another one. But the problem is the murder happens six months after the affair ends. That's not a crime of passion. It's not like you walk in and catch your partner cheating. And then perhaps you could try and argue that it's a Crime of passion. And then as for the emotional distress, other legal experts argue you can't just argue that you're angry and sad and upset that your wife is cheating. You have to have reached a severe mental capacity that lessens your faculties and causes you to commit a crime. It's very difficult to argue. So Eric's attorneys go for the third option, which is just straight up, your honor, my client didn't do it. He didn't do it. In fact, there could be a ton of other parties that just had more motive, the third party defense. And that is why you have demarco and Daryl brought in by the prosecutors to testify on the stand. So they want to rule out Eric Thompson being able to use that as any sort of defense. And the prosecutors argue throughout the trial that Eric Thompson is a perfectionist. And Joyce is no longer seeing her affair partner, John. But he will always be a stain, a potential in their marriage. He would have to be gone in order for them to move on. Just look at the way he handles the affair. The prosecutors argue he has her sign a postnup agreement. I mean, the defense argues it was Joyce's idea, but the prosecutors argue, but they still signed it. And he made her tell their families what she did. And she was forbidden from being alone with her siblings because her siblings covered for her and helped her cheat, which, I mean, some people say is not that crazy of a thing. I mean, some people say it's crazy because if you're forbidding your partner from seeing their siblings alone, then you might as well just divorce at that point, because, like, where's the trust? The prosecutors further argue, even if it is is true, that Joyce is the one that came up with this postnum. To go through with it is incredibly controlling. She cannot leave no matter what, unless she's ready to lose everything, including her child. If you're really not a controlling person, would you not just not sign it and try to make your marriage work? And yes, while the affair was done six months before the murder, one of the biggest things in the postnup is that Joyce was not allowed to ever see a psychic again because the psychic is the one that allegedly told her to have an affair. And she seems like someone who would absolutely listen to everything her psychic says. Well within the 12 days after signing the postnum and before John Takuhara is murdered, she goes and sees a psychic. The prosecutor is putting the question in people's minds, did that trigger Eric? Did he realize that she's clearly not going to listen to the postnup so that means she could easily just rekindle an affair with John Takuhara. And the night that John Takahara is killed, Eric says that he's out dumping bricks. Yeah, well, the prosecutors, they go to the dump site, they even bring in during the trial the guy that works there, and they're like, do you guys take bricks? No. But the defense is like, well, do you even check what everyone's bringing? And he's like, no, but it's not enough. You know, the prosecutors argue in their statement that 48 seconds is what it took for Eric Thompson to kill John Takuhara. The defense argues Eric is innocent. This, none of this makes sense. He has a similar truck, he has a similar walk to the guy. Everything is similar, similar, similar, but there's no concrete evidence. They also go on to victim blame. The defense. They say, look at John. He's talking to so many women. So many people have motive. Which One person close to John Takahara hated that and says he was not a home wrecker. He was a nice guy. I mean, he gives back to his community, like for high school. If you're participating in a sport and you're in a medical field, guess what? You get a two thousand dollar scholarship from John Takahara. Like, that's the type of guy he is. The defense argues, yeah, he's that. But also someone who just like goes after married women. And I do think that that's like a crazy victim blame because, I mean, one thing can be true, but doesn't mean anyone should be justified in murder. I guess the way that they're trying to say it though, is that, no, he has lots of suspects, but the police have only zeroed in on our client. They're not looking at all the other potential scorned men out there. They're only busy about this one. That's what they're arguing in their closing statement. They're like, we need more to convict beyond a reasonable doubt. There was evidence that John Takahara had a track record of cheating, with becoming involved with women who were in relationships. 2,500 messages with another woman. Okay, we didn't follow up on that one. We didn't follow up on the woman, the messages that he ghosted. We didn't follow up on the gambling post. The detectives told witnesses specifically, John was not involved in any gambling. We had a secret life. So the money, they're trying to pin it on gambling. Because the $4,000 in the backpack. The defense is like, well, he also posted about gambling, so maybe he was gambling and he owed someone money. But, I mean, the way it said herbs on there, I kind of wonder if he was just buying herbs for traditional medicine.

Co-host (55:41)

Right. Yeah. So those are his money. Just left it.

Narrator (55:47)

Right.

Co-host (55:47)

Okay.

Narrator (55:48)

And the defense argues that the prosecutor's narrative about Eric Thompson being this controlling guy, I mean, it's weird. They say no one forced his wife to sign this postnup. They put Eric up on the stand, and Eric says, we've been together for so long, she knew that I was never going to leave her, and she knew that she was never going to cheat again. So it was just like, hey, look, I'll prove it to you. So it was more of, like, a symbolic thing they're trying to argue, than, like, a real thing, especially because it probably wouldn't hold up in court anyway.

Co-host (56:18)

Where is the wife during the trial?

Narrator (56:21)

And she is sitting right behind Eric Thompson, supporting him the whole way through. She chooses not to. Not to testify, but she is there every day of court, every day of trial for both trials. Because the first trial ends up as a mistrial with three jurors being hung. Huh.

Co-host (56:41)

Because they couldn't come to no.

Narrator (56:44)

Wow. Also, the fire burned in the backyard, those are from tiki torches. They bring in a fire expert who testifies from the video of the fire that could potentially. Potentially depict tiki torches. Like, there's no way to say what that fire is from. As for the wheelbarrow with the bucket of melted stuff in there, he says that he uses it to melt metal for work projects because that's what he does for work. Also, they argue that none of this footage makes sense. So they say that the white bucket hat man enters the building for 48 seconds and then he leaves. And John Takahara is presumably dead at that point. Point. So this man allegedly enters the building at 6:16pm 48 seconds, and then leaves. But there was activity. John's phone was unlocked at 6:18pm what does that mean? So they're like, okay, but he leaves 48 seconds after. Who. Who unlocked John Takahara's phone? Is what the defense is asking.

Co-host (57:41)

Yeah. Who did?

Narrator (57:42)

It wasn't John. It wasn't anybody else. So that means they're just saying, we don't know. But it seems like your timeline is wrong. Wrong.

Co-host (57:49)

Yeah.

Narrator (57:50)

The defense argues, like, if you can't even get that correct, what else are you not getting Correct? The prosecutors are arguing, okay, well, it could have been, like, 6:16, that was about to be 6:17. And like, you know, everyone is arguing lots of different Things.

Co-host (58:06)

So he's. John helps with fertility through acupuncture. Right.

Narrator (58:12)

I know where you're going with this.

Co-host (58:14)

Is there any discussion of the kid with John? And during the trial, during the investigation,

Narrator (58:22)

the authorities seem really evasive about it for some reason. But there is some netizen speculation that perhaps the motive that Eric Thompson had to want John Takuharu dead could be that maybe there was some questioning of the paternity of their daughter, of who the dad is for their daughter. Because Joyce went to go see John Takahara before she got pregnant.

Co-host (58:49)

Right.

Narrator (58:49)

And then got pregnant and then afterwards for postpartum. But I don't know, the authorities just like won't touch it. I don't know if it's the fact that they disproved it, which I don't know why they wouldn't outright come out and just put that theory to rest, but they just won't get that involved. Every netizen has their own theory for why authorities don't want to get involved. Some people believe that it's because this happened in Waipahu, which is a very small, tight knit community, and they don't want these types of allegations and theories circulating, which then wouldn't it be very easy to do a paternity test and shut it down? Then you have other people saying, oh,

Co-host (59:28)

well, so this is like a thing that many people are discussing, not just me.

Narrator (59:35)

No, this is like online. It's definitely not really so much in the trial. And then you have some people saying, well, maybe it's not a great thing to touch because who knows what other doors it could open. Like maybe that's a fear of this tight knit community. And you have multiple people who were able to successfully conceive. Not that I'm saying that anything strange or unruly happened, but like, maybe it's just something that you don't even want to touch because you don't even know what's gonna happen once you start touching it. It.

Co-host (60:05)

Right. But on. Okay, to talk about the other side, then like the prosecutor, I would think they will probably want to test it and. Because that will give the biggest motive for Eric to commit such a crime.

Narrator (60:21)

Right.

Co-host (60:21)

If they can prove that, wouldn't you think that's something that they will really try to prove?

Narrator (60:27)

But I also wonder, with the type of evidence they have, if this could also be something that benefits Eric. Don't think about like you and me in a jury pool, but think about like a jury pool of random people. There's already so much victim blaming there's already so many people who believe that. It's like, oh, well, if you are going after vulnerable women who are just desperately trying to start a family, that's so interesting. What? So, like, there could be a way that this could be beneficial for Eric Thompson, or it could just be that it's not true, or it could just be that, like, maybe the kids don't have to know or be involved in something that adults have done. I don't know.

Co-host (61:12)

It's just not talked about at all.

Narrator (61:14)

It's not talked about. And so all netizens can do is speculate. And speculations are never great. Right. So it's like, but how can you not when it's not talked about, when it's not really uncovered during the trial?

Co-host (61:25)

Right. Okay.

Narrator (61:26)

So Eric Thompson, he testifies and he just says, like, I was pissed. I was really disappointed about the affair. Cause, you know, the only thing that they really have on him is the motive. And I'm not saying, like, he's innocent. That's the only thing they have on him. I'm just saying, like, clear cut and dry. There's no argument for the motive. There's lots of arguments for the truck and the white hat and the fire. And he says, I mean, it just didn't make sense that John helped us through the pregnancy. And I mean. I mean, I just didn't understand why he would do that if later he's just going to blow it up. The first couple days I was thinking about calling him, chewing him out. But then I came to the realization that I don't think I could have said anything to make things better. And I don't think I could get him to say sorry or feel bad. I mean, what's the point? I mean, I think he obviously didn't care about what I thought or my family. So, I mean, I just realized there's no point. So he says, like, there's no point in me confronting him, talking to him or anything. And as for his wife, he says, I think she was truly sorry for it. She made the effort. She never talked to John again. I came to the realization that the problem was with me and Joyce. I mean, she cut him off and he was a non factor after that. I realized I was kind of neglecting her sometimes, you know? Yeah. I mean, I think she said that I was like taking her for granted sometimes. Some people liked his testimony, others didn't. Some people thought that he was very evasive and that he kind of changed his sentiment a few times here and there. But like nothing explosive. He wasn't impeached on anything too crazy. Others say that he just had like this weird energy where he was trying to downplay it and like trying not to seem upset about the affair. So it's really just how you read the micro expressions of someone on the stand. One netizen writes, unpopular opinion. The husband shouldn't serve time if he is an otherwise lawful citizen and a good spouse. How many times in the past has an affair partner meddled in another's marriage and got killed? Killed. It's a well known fact that you risk your own well being when you engage in an affair with someone who is in an exclusive monogamous relationship. If you are a cheating spouse or the affair partner and you decide to carry out your urges to interfere in someone else's love life, then you must be ready for the consequences, no matter how minuscule or major someone argues back. So you're pro murder. Would another form of punishment not fulfill your seeming bloodlust? Another person writes, absolutely, John doesn't deserve to die, but he cheated with multiple women. He had an MO befriend clients that are woman, have intimate relations with them when they're vulnerable and in many cases ghost them. When he was done, it was bound to catch up with him and unfortunately for him, it did. He effed around too many times and found out he messed with a woman whose husband was nuts. Karma was not a bitch this time. It was an angry husband. To which someone responds, dating a married woman means you deserve to die. Thank God people like you aren't doing policy work. And then I think that one thing that really helped Eric's case was actually the other two husbands that testified. I think the prosecutors had to bring them in to show, hey, these are not third parties that had motive. We already investigated them. They have no, you know, they're good, they're clear. The defense, if we don't bring them in, they're going to try to build them up as these crazy monsters behind the scenes that could have done it. But like, look at them, they're fine. They're fine people. I don't know if that's exactly what happened when they testified. I think one thing is it could have shown to the jurors a pattern. Again, I'm not saying that, but it could have been interpreted that way. And then the second thing is one of them, Daryl, Daryl is crazy. Daryl's on the stand and he clearly doesn't want to be there and he's very angry about it.

Co-host (64:49)

These are all recorded right yeah.

Narrator (64:50)

And he's just like, this is ridiculous. I don't know why I'm here. I mean, I know why I'm here, but I don't want to be here. This is so not cool. Why am I here? That's his energy the whole time. And then he's like, I don't think it's weird to format your phone unless you have something to hide. Not that I had anything to hide or anything like that. And it's just like a whole thing. And then there's a whole problem with the DNA. The police state that they took a sample from the inside top of the white bucket hat and they claim that it matches Eric Thompson. That is the strongest piece of evidence by far that Eric Thompson has to the crime, but that gets thrown out. The FBI does an audit of the Hawaii Police Department's procedures unrelated to this case, and they state that HPD has not been using validated methods for DNA testing. Validation is very important. So you have to make sure whatever tools and softwares and method and instruments that you're using is validated, that it produces precise and accurate results before you start using such devices and mechanisms in DNA testing. Okay, think about it like this. The weight of something is very important. You get a scale to weigh this object, but you never test the scale with any other objects or another scale to make sure that the weight is proper. But you just take the first number it spits out and you trust it with your life.

Co-host (66:04)

That's so crazy. What in the odds?

Narrator (66:07)

So that's what HPD was doing with DNA testing, and it was really bad because it's a double edged sword. Which means this type of testing puts innocent people in jail, but it also lets guilty people go free.

Co-host (66:19)

Right.

Narrator (66:20)

There's also no phone. Phone cell towers placing Eric Thompson at the scene of the crime. Like, there was really not a lot. And that is why the very first trial ends with a mistrial. Not an acquittal, but a mistrial. They decide to go through with the second trial, and this time the juror comes back guilty. But even that people are concerned about. There seems to be an appeal that is going to be in process. But one of the jurors did an interview after the fact and they were like, yeah, he probably did it. And people say, yeah, probably is not good enough.

Co-host (67:02)

Oh, yeah, right. Like, how could you say guilty if you think he probably did it?

Narrator (67:09)

Yeah. The part that's very sad is like, in this case, he probably did it. Right. But in other cases, maybe they didn't do it. Maybe there's not enough evidence for sure. It's hard for John Takahara's family to hear comments like this because it's not about John Takahara. It's more so about the justice system, but I'm sure it feels targeted. For example, one comment reads, he absolutely had the most motive. However, the evidence was circumstantial and the video recordings place him in the area, but not necessarily in the business. And we don't even know if that's him in the white bucket hat. I don't know every single detail, but the dude was very close to getting away with it, which is crazy. Others say. I personally think this is the comment. No one has clean hands. Everyone was damaged. No one had any maturity to think about how greatly others would be affected. I feel the worst for the child. Some people feel angry that Joyce Thompson is not facing any consequences. She did the worst thing initially. She's the one that had the affair. John was likely not dating anyone, had no obligations to anyone. And like, yes, I think that objectively and emotionally, we can feel some type of way about the other party in a marriage. We can also also feel some type of way about him being the acupuncturist and her being the patient. We can have all of those feelings. But in terms of relationship wise, she probably did the worst thing, which is cheat on her husband and then he ends up dead, and now he's going to prison for life. There is possibility of parole, though, so that's not opted out. But a lot of people have sentiments about that. Others have sentiments about, like, some people were saying some crazy things of, like, he should have just killed his wife instead of John. Like. Like, it's some crazy. A lot of people had opinions, and they were not afraid to list them out online about this case. Others are just saying it's just weird. He probably did it. But it's supposed to be beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. In the first trial, the jurors couldn't even decide if it was a man or a woman in the white bucket hat. Some jurors also don't know what Joyce knows about any of this. This. So, like, let's say Eric, Joyce's husband, did kill John. Did Joyce know and she's now supporting her husband because of guilt, obligation, fear, or is she sitting there like, my husband never wears white bucket hats. It's totally not him. Like, what is it?

Co-host (69:28)

Right.

Narrator (69:29)

During the sentencing, many of John's family and friends were able to give impact Statements for the judge to consider. And a lot of them were pointedly towards Eric, saying, you will sit in a cell in a 6x10 jail cell every day and have nothing but time to think and you deserve that. You took someone's life. John's sister states, it is the day our lives forever changed. It is the day our hearts broke down. And it is the day true evil showed its face. Brutally ripped from this world, taken from us and left to be found by Mom. Which, by the way, Lily Takahara, John's mom. She was there every day. She testified and she held her composure and she was. Yeah, and she was the one that found John. The sister Continues. Over the last three years I have asked myself the same question over and over. How did Eric Thompson think that committing such a monstrous and senseless crime would solve his problems? His heartless and soulless disregard for human life has managed to destroy many, many lives. Another one of John's closest friends states, joyce will now have to pick up the pieces for the destruction both of you have created and raise her daughter without a dad. She will one day have to explain to her daughter what caused her dad to kill someone. As for Eric, he will have to serve at least 15 years before he's considered eligible for parole. And with that, that is where I leave you with this case. Who do you think did it? I will say most netizens do think it's Eric Thompson. And I will say most netizens like there are some weird people who are victim blaming John Takuhara. I think that there can be more constructive conversations around being an acupuncturist and what it could mean ethically in not sleeping or having affairs with clients. But I think when it just comes from like a well he effed around and found out, I think that's an unproductive, weird victim blaming conversation to have. And even so I do see a lot of netizens saying even though he is an acupuncturist who maybe have violated some ethical rules of being with a client, does that mean that you can commit the worst ethical rule of not killing someone? So there's a lot of conversations happening online. What are your thoughts about this case? Let me know in the comments and I'll see you in the next one. Sometimes you want the full cocktail experience and the freedom to say yes to more the next day. That's where ritual zero proof comes in. These high quality alcohol alternatives are crafted to bring the bite, flavor and vibe of real spirits without the alcohol. Mix an agave spirit margarita Pour in aperitif, spritz, or sub in whatever fits your go to each one swaps in ounce for ounce, zero proof and low to no calories. More flavor, more moments. No trade offs. Ditch the rules, keep the ritual. Find yours@ritual0proof.com Bubba Wallace here from 2311 Racing. You know what's slower than a pace car waiting at the car wash? That's when I fire up Jumbo Casino. It turns these slow minutes into fast fun. With new games every week, you'll never get bored. Next time you're stuck in the slow lane, speed up with Chumba. Play now@chumbacasino.com let's chumba no purchase necessary. VGW group void where prohibited by law. CTNC's 21+ sponsored by Jumbo Casino.