Judge orders mental exam for Pahoa murder suspect in lower Puna killings

A Hilo judge has ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Jacob “Jake” Daniel Baker, the Pahoa man accused of killing three older men in lower Puna, a step that could delay a case already marked by grief, fear and a long manhunt. The order means court officials will first assess whether Baker is competent to stand trial and whether he can be held criminally responsible for the killings.

Hilo District Judge Jeffrey Hawk directed that Baker, 36, be examined by three mental-health professionals. The evaluations will address both Baker’s ability to understand and participate in the legal process and his mental state at the time of the alleged offenses, including whether he could understand the wrongfulness and illegality of what prosecutors say he did. Baker remains held without bail and must return to court on Aug. 11.

The case has rattled Puna since police first responded to a suspicious death at 8:47 p.m. on May 25 on Papaya Farms Road in Pahoa, then to a second suspicious death the next day on Kalapana-Kapoho Beach Road. Police later identified the victims as Robert “Bob” Shine, 69, Frederick “Chitta” Morse, 79, and John Carse, 69. Baker faces first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, along with burglary, theft, stolen-vehicle and property-damage charges.

Prosecutors have described the killings in stark terms, calling them “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel” and citing “exceptional depravity” in court filings and reporting. The judge also found Baker posed a serious danger to the community, pointing to the victims’ ages and the reported use of knives and strangulation. An autopsy on Shine showed he died by strangulation.

Police said Baker was arrested on May 28 at 2:38 p.m. after an extensive multi-agency manhunt, with public tips helping lead investigators to him. Officials said he was considered armed and extremely dangerous during the search, and later said he was found concealed in a small cave on a neighboring property.

The alleged killings struck a close-knit stretch of lower Puna where Baker was known for selling coconut and fish roadside, making the violence feel even more personal to residents. Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda called the case “very unsettling,” and said he and many others could not sleep while Baker was being sought. With the mental exam now ordered, the case is shifting from the urgency of the manhunt to a slower courtroom fight that could stretch well into the summer.