HONOLULU, HI — A Hawaii man has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the murder of his wife’s acupuncturist, following a highly publicized case involving claims of infidelity and meticulous police work.
Eric Thompson, 37, learned his fate Friday in a Honolulu courtroom for the January 2022 killing of 47-year-old Jon Tokuhara, who was reportedly having an affair with Thompson’s wife. In addition to life for second-degree murder, Thompson received a 20-year sentence for a weapons charge, with both terms to run concurrently. He must serve at least 15 years before becoming eligible for parole.
A jury convicted Thompson in February after a second trial; the first ended in a mistrial when jurors couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict.
During sentencing, Thompson’s wife sat quietly behind him in the courtroom, choosing not to address the media afterward. Thompson’s family also declined to comment.
Tokuhara’s friend, Elton Escobido, told local CBS affiliate KGMB that Tokuhara was not “a homewrecker.”
“He’s a nice guy,” Escobido said. “He gives back to the community. Like for high school, if you’re participating in a sport and you’re in the medical field, guess what? You get a $2,000 scholarship.”
Thompson’s defense attorneys insisted their client was not near the murder scene at the time of the killing. They also suggested Tokuhara was involved with multiple women and that others might have had a motive to harm him.
Police discovered Tokuhara’s body on Jan. 12, 2022, inside his acupuncture clinic in Waipahu. Investigators used surveillance footage to track Thompson’s truck in the vicinity of the crime. Crucially, video captured Thompson dropping a hat as he left the scene. A homeless man later picked up the hat, and forensic testing of hair and fibers helped link Thompson to the crime.
According to court documents reviewed by local Fox affiliate KHON, Thompson’s wife began an affair with Tokuhara between May and July 2021. A mutual acquaintance, who had been a patient of Tokuhara, testified that she introduced Thompson’s wife to Tokuhara for acupuncture treatments.
Although the woman admitted to the affair to her friend, she did not disclose whether Thompson knew about the relationship. Police investigations later uncovered Instagram messages between Tokuhara and Thompson’s wife, in which she expressed fear that her husband might discover their involvement.
While Tokuhara reportedly wanted a long-term relationship, Thompson’s wife expressed that she was unwilling to leave her marriage. Their last known Instagram exchange occurred in July 2021, when she ended the affair and told Tokuhara not to contact her again.
Thompson remains in custody following his sentencing.
