A Hawaii man was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for murdering his wife’s acupuncturist, with whom she allegedly had an affair.
Eric Thompson, 37, received his sentence Friday for the January 2022 murder of 47-year-old Jon Tokuhara near Honolulu. According to local CBS affiliate KGMB, Thompson was also sentenced to 20 years in prison for a weapons charge. He will have to serve at least 15 years for murder.
The sentences will run concurrently. In February, a jury found Thompson guilty of second-degree murder. It was the second trial, as the first ended in a mistrial because the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.
Thompson’s wife, according to KGMB, sat behind him during the sentencing hearing to support him. She and Thompson’s family declined to speak with the media afterward.
Tokuhara’s friend, Elton Escobido, told the TV station that his pal was “not a homewrecker.”
“He is a nice guy,” Escobido explained. “I mean, he gives back to his community. For example, in high school, if you participate in a sport and work in medicine, guess what? You receive a $2,000 scholarship.”
Thompson’s solicitors claimed he was not present at the time of the murder. They also claimed the victim was having affairs with multiple women and that other people had a motive to kill him.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Tokuhara’s mother discovered her son shot to death inside his acupuncture clinic on January 12, 2022. Police allegedly used surveillance footage to identify Thompson’s truck and connect him to the murder scene.
Thompson dropped his hat as he walked back to his car, and a homeless man picked it up later, according to KGMB. According to the TV station, police used surveillance video to identify the man and extract samples of hair and fibres from it, eventually leading to Thompson as the possible killer.
According to local Fox affiliate KHON, which reviewed court documents supporting Thompson’s arrest, Thompson’s wife had an affair with Tokuhara between May and July 2021.
A patient of Tokuhara’s, who is thought to be the last to see him the day before his body was discovered, said she knew Thompson and his wife, according to KHON. According to the KHON story, the couple began dating in high school and eventually married.
The patient later referred Thompson’s wife to Tokuhara for acupuncture services and treatment, according to the KHON report.
The wife later admitted to the patient that she was having an affair, but she did not say who it was with or whether Thompson was aware of it, according to Fox affiliate.
The police investigation into Tokuhara’s death reportedly turned up Instagram messages between the victim and Thompson’s wife, in which she expressed concern about Thompson discovering the relationship.
The KHON report also stated that, while Tokuhara may have desired a long-term relationship, Thompson’s wife did not want to leave her husband; in July 2021, she reportedly informed Tokuhara that she had to end the relationship and that he could no longer contact her. According to KHON, their last Instagram communication took place on July 23, 2021.
