DNA Breakthrough Leads to Arrest in 1977 Murder of Hawaii Teen

Gideon Castro, a former McKinley High School student, is charged nearly 50 years after Dawn Momohara's death following advances in forensic science.

Dawn Momohara, a 16-year-old student, was found sexually assaulted and strangled at McKinley High School in Honolulu on March 21, 1977.
The case went cold for decades despite initial evidence, including witness accounts and a DNA sample retrieved from the crime scene.
In 2020, forensic experts developed a DNA profile from reexamined evidence, leading investigators to two brothers who had been interviewed in 1977.
Gideon Castro, now 66 and living in a Utah nursing home, was identified as the suspect after DNA testing excluded his brother and matched samples from Castro and his son.
Castro, arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, remains in custody with a $250,000 bond and is scheduled for a court appearance in Salt Lake County District Court.