In a significant development, a Utah judge has ordered the release of a 66-year-old man connected to the 1977 murder of a Hawaii teenager, as announced by the prosecutors in Honolulu, who are currently not ready to pursue murder charges against him.
Earlier this year, Gideon Castro was apprehended at a Utah nursing home, facing allegations of second-degree murder related to the death of 16-year-old Dawn Momohara. Following his arrest, Castro had agreed not to contest his extradition at a previous hearing in Salt Lake City, and due to health issues, he participated via video from a hospital bed in jail.
Amid pending extradition, authorities in Honolulu conveyed to their Utah counterparts their decision to delay the case against Castro, citing “recent complications involving a material witness in this case and the state of the evidence.” Despite this pause, the Honolulu officials emphasized their commitment to continuing their pursuit of justice. In a correspondence sent Monday, Kelsi Guerra, a deputy prosecuting attorney in Honolulu, communicated to Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Clifford Ross, “Please understand we view this as only a temporary setback, and we remain fully committed to continuing our efforts to prosecute this matter in the near future.”
Consequently, Judge John Nielsen from the Utah District Court granted an order for Castro’s release on Wednesday, and updating Salt Lake County jail records revealed that as of Thursday, Castro was no longer listed as an inmate.
The homicide case dates back to March 21, 1977, when Honolulu police discovered the lifeless body of Momohara at about 7:30 a.m. on the second floor of a school facility. Momohara had been sexually assaulted and strangled, with an orange cloth tightly wound around her neck, police reports indicated. With advancements in DNA technology, investigators were able to connect Castro to the crime after multiple interviews with him and his brother back in 1977 failed to yield conclusive results until more recent DNA sample collections provided evidence.
Castro’s legal counsel had previously noted during the Salt Lake City hearing their client’s intent to challenge the charges once returned to Hawaii. According to jail records, he was maintaining his resident status in the state.
