Naman Shrestha
Jon Tokuhara was a well-respected acupuncturist and member of the community. Therefore, when he was suddenly killed in early 2022, a sense of terror and loss took over the community as a whole, especially his loved ones. All the intricate details of the case and the investigation that ensued are explored in the episode titled ‘The Bucket Hat Mystery’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline.’ While investigating the case, the detectives uncovered a romantic affair and security footage that led them to the perpetrator.
Jon Tokuhara Was Found Dead in His Acupuncture Clinic by His Mother
On February 13, 1974, Walter H. and Lilly Y. Tokuhara welcomed Jon Satoshi Tokuhara into this world in Honolulu, Hawaii. Growing up alongside his sister Sissy Lee Tokuhara Amodo, he developed a passion for the outdoors and numerous sports, such as baseball, rugby, judo, and volleyball. Besides being a promising athlete, he was also a bright student academically. After graduating from Waipahu High School, he attended the University of Portland. Pursuing higher education, he attended the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, from which he graduated with a Master’s degree in Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture.
In the early 2000s, Jon established his own acupuncture business, Tokuhara Acupuncture & Healthcare, in Waipahu, Hawaii. In his free time, the small businessman enjoyed indulging in various water sports and other activities, including snowboarding, fishing, surfing, paddling, and rock climbing. In August 2021, he also solo paddled across the challenging Kaiwi Channel, making his family and friends proud. Everything seemed to be going fine on both a personal and professional level when fate intervened. On January 13, 2022, his mother, Lilly, found the 47-year-old lying unresponsive on the floor of his acupuncture clinic. As the authorities rushed to the crime scene, they pronounced him dead due to the three gunshot wounds to the head.
Jon Tokuhara’s Affair With a Married Woman Led to His Demise
As the homicide investigation was launched, the authorities dug deeper into Jon Tokuhara’s personal and professional life. They got hold of a patient who had an appointment the day before the acupuncturist was found dead. She claimed that a woman named Joyce Thompson might have had an extramarital affair with Jon. Joyce was already married to her high school sweetheart, Eric Thompson. It was mentioned on the show that she started seeing Jon for acupuncture services, but they later formed a romantic bond, starting in May 2021. In the months that followed, Jon and Joyce exchanged thousands of messages on Instagram, wherein the latter was concerned about her husband finding out about the affair. The authorities delved deeper into their affair and learned that Jon seemed to desire a long-term relationship with Joyce, who wasn’t ready to leave her husband.
A few months later, in July 2021, she reportedly severed ties with the acupuncturist. Eric shared that he found Joyce’s behavior suspicious, as she began leaving the house at night. When he allegedly confronted her, they got into an argument, but he claimed that she told him about the affair the following day. “I was shocked and then I said, like, ‘Was this with, you know, your, the people you’re having dinner with?’ And she said, ‘No, it was with Jon Tokuhara.’ And then, I was like who? And then she’s like, ‘You know, Dr. Jon,’ and I was like ‘Oh ****, the massage guy?'” he said. In light of her affair, they allegedly filed a post-nuptial agreement that allowed him to get custody of their daughter, Emma, in case of a divorce.
Eric claimed that he and Joyce decided to work out their marriage after all. He claimed that “the affair… it was in the rearview mirror more or less. Just more planning for our futures.” Upon taking a look at the surveillance footage of the acupuncture clinic and the surrounding areas, the detectives noticed a man wearing a white bucket hat and jacket walking outside the clinic holding a paper bag around the time of the murder. Not only did they spot Eric’s truck in the area, but they also tracked down the bucket hat, which he had dropped while walking back to his car, and pulled hair and fiber samples from it that matched Eric’s. Armed with enough evidence, the authorities arrested him on February 14, 2022, and charged him with the murder of Jon Tokuhara.
Eric Thompson is Currently Incarcerated at a Hawaii Prison Facility
After spending months under house arrest in an upscale Honolulu neighborhood, Eric Thompson stood trial for the first time in 2023, which resulted in a mistrial as the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. More than a year later, on January 21, 2025, his second murder trial commenced. The prosecution told the jury that Eric fatally shot Jon Tokuhara after learning about the affair. They also presented DNA evidence found on his bucket hat that was discovered near the crime scene. The prosecution stated, “Nobody had the motive except for Mr. Thompson. Nobody had the means to do except for Mr. Thompson. You’ll see throughout this trial, Eric Thompson planned this murder and he executed this murder nearly flawlessly.”
Meanwhile, the defense attorney argued that Eric was at the Waimanalo Convenience Center at the time of the murder. “No contact with Jon Tokuhara — calls, texts, postings, social media postings — nothing direct or indirect. No threats or anger directed at Jon Tokuhara. No evidence that Eric was ever in Waipahu,” the defense said. Claiming that Jon had relationships with other married women, the defense attorney also argued that there could be other suspects in the case. Eric himself took the stand and recounted how he took the news of Joyce having an affair with Jon. He stated, “I was sad at first, just, you know, because my suspicions were confirmed. I was pissed, like…why would this happen or like what did I do to deserve this? Or like, it was just really confusing.”
While on the stand, he denied ever being violent towards Joyce, despite harboring anger. He also claimed that he thought about confronting Jon, but decided not to do so. Ultimately, the jury returned with a guilty verdict on February 25, 2025, as he was convicted of second-degree murder and carrying or using a firearm in the commission of a separate felony. A few months later, on June 27, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 15 years behind bars. As of today, he is serving his sentence at Halawa Correctional Facility in Aiea, Hawaii, awaiting his parole.
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