Family confirms son killed his mother in Makaha

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Family members confirmed the man arrested for beating a 38-year-old woman to death in Makaha is her own son. Officials said 19-year-old Joshua McPeek was charged with second-degree murder.

McPeek was arrested on Wednesday, April 20, after police said they responded to a call about a man beating a female in the middle of the roadway on Farrington Highway.

Friends and family are heartbroken, and wish they could have done more to prevent the tragedy.

Neighbors are still in shock about what happened. They describe the victim as a single mother who always worked hard so she can take care of her kids.

“She’s a nice neighbor, we all like her. She didn’t do anybody any harm or anything, she just goes to work and attends to her kids,” said a neighbor who did not want to be identified.

Honolulu EMS attempted to save the victim, but the 38-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the Honolulu Police Department, witnesses came to help the victim but they said she was so badly beaten she was unrecognizable.

The family sent a statement saying, “We are in deep grief and mourning… She was a loving mother, a daughter, and a sister, and our ohana is heartbroken.”

“It’s so sad that her own son did that, her own son did that to the mom. I could not believe that her own son did that to the mom,” said the neighbor.

The neighbor has reached out to help the family before and says it’s a shame that they couldn’t help her that night when she needed it most. A makeshift memorial now stands where it all happened.

“I put the lei on the marker and that’s all I could do and I talked to her just to show my respect,” said the neighbor.

Experts on domestic violence say it’s important to approach potential victim and ask them if they are in danger because sometimes, victims are reluctant to call the police.

“The person who is being victimized has the best sense of the danger, of the risk, the options, and may confide in you if you ask the question or when you ask the question,” said Nanci Kreidman, chief executive officer of the Domestic Violence Action Center.

After further investigation, HPD said that the suspect was in an argument with the victim before he allegedly assaulted her and caused her to sustain fatal injuries.

Police stated that no weapons were found.

The suspect’s bail was set at $1,000,000.