A social media influencer and Hawaiian beauty entrepreneur was fatally shot in front of her daughter by her estranged husband, in what authorities are investigating as a murder-suicide, police said.
Theresa Cachuela, 33, mother of three and owner of House of Glam Hawaii LLC in Waipahu, was shot in the head and killed by Jason Cachuela, 44, in the Pearlridge Center parking lot on Friday morning, the Honolulu Star–Advertiser reported.
His daughter witnessed the shooting and told police her father pulled the trigger, according to KITV. The girl was reported by local outlets as either 6 or 8 years old.
Jason reportedly shot himself shortly after fleeing the scene in a gray Mazda.
Police are investigating the death as a murder-suicide, which came two weeks after a judge granted Cachuela’s petition for a protective order against her estranged husband.
“This is not a random act, because the victim and the suspect are involved in a relationship,” said police Lt. Deena Thoemmes on Friday before the gunman was found dead, according to the Hawaii Tribune.
“We know there is a TRO handed to him, that’s why this case is classified as murder in the first instance,” he said referring to the temporary restraining order.
Cachuela was shot by Jason Cachuela in the parking lot of the Pearlridge Center in Honolulu.
When police served Jason with a TRO, they found five of his registered firearms, the outlet reported.
“Her youngest daughter is the tragic one looking at everything,” Cachuela’s mother, Lucita Ani-Nihoa, told Hawaii News Now. “He was traumatized. He was very trusting, this little girl. He just … started praying.”
He added: “He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe his mother was gone. I do not believe.”
According to the petition for the TRO, Cachuela threatened to kill himself in front of him, the Hawaii Tribune reported.
“He then took me alone to Waikiki and held a knife to his neck traumatizing me and scaring me,” she wrote, according to the outlet. “The next morning he came to my house early in the morning to apologize. I tried to help him and talk to him but he kept threatening to kill himself again.”
Honolulu Police officers at the scene of the shooting. KITV
Cachuela’s mother described the tragic shooting on a GoFundMe page.
He said his daughter, whom the family calls “Tita,” planned to have breakfast with him Friday morning.
“I want to give him and my grandchildren their Christmas presents,” Ani-Nihoa wrote. “My daughter does not deserve this. He tried so hard to get help, but the Justice system failed him,” he wrote.
“We are deeply moved by the loss of our beloved Tita. This is very difficult for our family where we are not prepared to face it,” continued the grieving mother.
Jason Cachuela shot and killed himself after fleeing the scene. Instagram / @_bontiti_ Jason Cachuela’s car towed after murder-suicide. KITV
“We are asking for donations to help cover any funeral expenses for Tita as we want to give her a fitting memorial to honor her memory and say a final goodbye,” he added.
A photo of Cachuela in California last year shows her standing in front of a pair of large angel wings with the Hollywood sign visible behind her.
Ani-Nihoa said her daughter Cachuela told relatives she had been abused by her husband and filed a TRO for constant harassment and stalking, Hawaii News Now reported.
“He wanted to leave her but she didn’t accept it. He tries to control her, with everything … where she will go what she will do,” Ani-Nihoa told the outlet, adding that her daughter recently filed for divorce.
Cachuela’s daughter witnessed the murder. Instagram / @_bontiti_
In the days leading up to the murder, Jason repeatedly threatened to kill himself, HNN reported.
He was only allowed to contact Cachuela for child custody, KITV reported, adding that they had been married for 10 years.
Jason’s attorney, Michael Green, said the couple had agreed to visit the child, according to HNN.
Green told the Star-Advertiser that his client never threatened violence against Cachuela and the children.
Cachuela’s cousin Terrell Scott said she should be remembered as a dedicated mother and business owner. KITV
He told the outlet that the TRO was sought to help prevent Cachuela from killing himself and that he had arranged for a psychological evaluation before the couple agreed to the terms of the TRO.
Ani-Nihoa said the shooting could have been prevented if her daughter’s request for police help had been taken more seriously.
“He tried to tell the police about all the issues that happened regarding the gun that he pulled on him several times,” he told the outlet.
Jason Cachuela is reportedly only allowed to contact his estranged wife to get custody of the children. Instagram / @_bontiti_
“He threatened to kill her. They never arrested him, knowing that he had a gun, knowing that he tried to threaten, he threatened to kill children and he was in his own garage. The court is not there for him,” said Ani-Nihoa.
“The system failed him – and now he’s gone,” he added.
Cachuela’s cousin, Terrell Scott, said she wants the community to remember her as a dedicated mother and business owner.
“He is very supportive of his children and he does everything he can to protect them. She is very loving and an amazing woman. I love him and I’m sorry his kids are going through this,” Scott told KITV.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
