SALT LAKE CITY — In a major development in a decades-old case, a judge in Utah has ordered the release of Gideon Castro, a 66-year-old man linked to the notorious 1977 murder of a Hawaii teenager. This follows a decision by Honolulu prosecutors to halt proceedings against him due to unresolved evidence issues and complications with a key witness.
Castro was taken into custody earlier this year at a Utah nursing home under a fugitive warrant, accused of being involved in the death of 16-year-old Dawn Momohara. During a recent hearing in Salt Lake City, Castro, who is in poor health and appeared from his hospital bed, decided not to fight the extradition to Hawaii.
Despite being expected to send him back to face charges, Honolulu prosecutors recently informed their Utah counterparts that they are unable to move forward with the case at this time. The delay is attributed to “recent complications involving a material witness in this case and the state of the evidence,” as communicated by Kelsi Guerra, a deputy prosecuting attorney in Hawaii.
Guerra stressed that this was a temporary setback and that they remain dedicated to pursuing justice in this matter soon. Subsequently, Utah District Court Judge John Nielsen ruled for Castro’s release on Wednesday, and he no longer appears as an inmate in Salt Lake County jail records as of Thursday.
The original incident took place on March 21, 1977, when Honolulu police discovered Momohara’s body in a state of undress with signs of sexual assault and strangulation at McKinley High School. Back then, Castro was a student at the same school.
Castro’s legal representative had indicated his intention to contest the charges upon returning to Hawaii, where Castro still has residency. The specifics of Castro’s time in Utah before the arrest remain unclear, although he was detained in Millcreek, near Salt Lake City.
As the investigation unfolded in the late 1970s, police circulated sketches and vehicle descriptions provided by witnesses but failed to identify a suspect, leading to a cold case. However, advances in DNA testing provided a breakthrough, connecting Castro to the crime. Originally interviewed in 1977 along with his brother, Castro was not definitively linked to the murder until DNA evidence emerged in recent years.
