by Aku Bone Media
Beneath the Palms explores Hawaii’s true crime cases, unsolved mysteries, disappearances, historical injustices, and stories too often left in the shadows. From cold cases and notorious crimes to forgotten events that shaped the islands, each episode looks beyond paradise to the people, places, and truths still waiting to be remembered. 🎧 New episodes every Tuesday at 5AM HST. Darkness may linger beneath the palms, but so does hope.
Language
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Publishing Since
1/26/2025
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June 23, 2026
<p><strong>The Pier 24 Execution: David Walden’s Unsolved Murder</strong></p><p>On April 16, 1994, David Larry Walden went to Honolulu Harbor for work. He was waiting near Pier 24 for a production vehicle coming from Maui when two helmeted men arrived on a motorcycle. Within seconds, David, a husband, father of four, Navy veteran, and working man, was shot to death in a public parking lot near 711 North Nimitz Highway.</p><p>This episode of Beneath the Palms follows the unsolved murder of David Walden and the world surrounding it: Hawaii’s film and television production industry, Star Suites, movie-production trucks, the 1991 equipment fires, business disputes, reported threats, federal attention, and the questions that still remain more than thirty years later.</p><p>No one has ever been charged with David Walden’s murder. This story includes allegations involving business disputes, labor conflict, arson, extortion, and publicly named individuals. Unless otherwise stated, those allegations were never proven in court.</p><p>Mahalo to David’s daughter, Angela Whitworth, who has continued speaking publicly about her father’s case for years, and who took the time to read this story before recording so David could be remembered with care.</p><p>If you have information about the murder of David L. Walden, contact CrimeStoppers Honolulu at 808-955-8300 or submit an anonymous tip through the P3 Tips app.</p><p><strong>Sources:</strong><br><a href="https://www.honolulupd.org/cold-case/david-l-walden/">David L. Walden</a> - Honolulu Police Department<br><a href="https://fluxhawaii.com/driving-factors/">Driving Factors</a> - FLUX Hawaii, James Dooley<br><a href="https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/25257901/20th-anniversary-of-cold-case-murder-still-no-arrests/">20th anniversary of cold case murder, still no arrests</a> - Hawaii News Now<br><a href="https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/04/16/years-after-fathers-calculated-execution-daughter-renews-plea-tips/">25 years after father’s ‘calculated execution,’ daughter renews plea for tips</a> - Hawaii News Now<br><a href="https://www.hawaiireporter.com/cold-case-daughter-seeks-publics-help-to-find-her-fathers-killers/">Honolulu Cold Case: Daughter seeks public’s help to find her father’s killers</a> - Hawaii Reporter<br><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/">Slain man had movie trailer link</a> - Honolulu Advertiser, Apr. 20, 1994<br><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/">Police hunting two in slaying by waterfront</a> - Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Apr. 20, 1994<br><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/">Film industry violence in Isles probed by FBI</a> - Honolulu Advertiser, May 21, 1994<br><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/">Film worker slaying hasn’t been solved</a> - Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Jul. 2, 1997<br><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/">Smoke from isle film fires fogs Hollywood</a> - Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Jun. 12, 1991<br><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/">Teamster charges fly in aftermath of fires</a> - Honolulu Advertiser, Jun. 12, 1991<br><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/">Arson forces owner out of business</a> - Honolulu Advertiser, Jun. 14, 1991<br><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/">Film-industry figure denies arson</a> - Honolulu Advertiser, Apr. 22, 1999<br><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/">David Larry Walden obituary and memorial notice</a> - The Kansas City Star, Apr. 1994</p><p><br></p><p>#DavidWalden #HawaiiTrueCrime #UnsolvedMurder #Honolulu #BeneathThePalms</p>
June 17, 2026
<p><strong>Owen Hamada was found beaten to death inside the women’s restroom at Waikele Community Park on March 21, 2005. More than twenty years later, his murder remains unsolved.</strong></p><p>Owen was originally from Hilo, worked in construction and roofing, and was a familiar face around Waikele Shopping Center. Police said he regularly slept overnight in the park restroom and was last seen alive the previous evening at the Waikele McDonald’s. His wallet was missing when park employees found him at about 7:00 a.m.</p><p>This episode of Beneath the Palms follows Owen’s life before the headline, the final known hours of Sunday, March 20, the early homicide investigation, his family’s reward offer, and the renewed cold-case appeal in 2006. It also examines the limited possibilities raised by the missing wallet, his visible routine, and the unknown hours before his death, while keeping every unproven idea separate from verified fact.</p><p>Owen was more than the word “homeless.” He was a son of Hilo, a working man, a brother, a father of four, and a grandfather of eleven. This story is told with care for Owen, his family, the park employees who found him, and the community that knew his face.</p><p><strong>Listener discretion advised:</strong> This episode discusses homicide, homelessness, and fatal violence.</p><p><strong>If you have information:</strong> Contact Honolulu CrimeStoppers at 808-955-8300, submit an anonymous online tip, or use the P3 Tips app. Do not investigate the case yourself or post accusations online.</p><p><strong>Sources:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.honolulupd.org/cold-case/owen-hamada/">Owen Hamada | Honolulu Police Department</a> – https://www.honolulupd.org/cold-case/owen-hamada/</li><li><a href="https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/266825232/">Attackers Sought in Fatal Beating | The Honolulu Advertiser</a> – https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/266825232/</li><li><a href="https://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/03/24/news/briefs.html">Suspect Sought in Homeless Man’s Death | Honolulu Star-Bulletin</a> – https://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/03/24/news/briefs.html</li><li><a href="https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jun/03/ln/ln18p.html">Reward Offered in Waikele Death | The Honolulu Advertiser</a> – https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jun/03/ln/ln18p.html</li><li><a href="https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Apr/14/ln/ln50pobituaries.html">Owen Kazutoshi Hamada Obituary | The Honolulu Advertiser</a> – https://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Apr/14/ln/ln50pobituaries.html</li><li><a href="https://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/04/15/news/obits.html">Owen Kazutoshi Hamada Obituary | Honolulu Star-Bulletin</a> – https://archives.starbulletin.com/2005/04/15/news/obits.html</li><li><a href="https://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Nov/03/ln/FP611030370.html">Police Seek Help in Beating Death | The Honolulu Advertiser</a> – https://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Nov/03/ln/FP611030370.html</li><li><a href="https://archives.starbulletin.com/2006/11/04/news/briefs.html">Public’s Help Sought in Homeless Man’s Death | Honolulu Star-Bulletin</a> – https://archives.starbulletin.com/2006/11/04/news/briefs.html</li><li><a href="https://staradvertiser.newspapers.com/paper/hawaii-tribune-herald/12556/articles/2005-04-13">Owen Kazutoshi Hamada Obituary | Hawaii Tribune-Herald</a> – https://staradvertiser.newspapers.com/paper/hawaii-tribune-herald/12556/articles/2005-04-13</li><li><a href="https://www.honolulucrimestoppers.org/">CrimeStoppers Honolulu</a> – https://www.honolulucrimestoppers.org/</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Mahalo to Yoza for the song “Broken Wings.”</p><p><br></p><p>#BeneathThePalms #OwenHamada #HawaiiTrueCrime #UnsolvedMurder #Waikele</p>
June 9, 2026
<p>Kalaupapa forced exile on Molokai remains one of the darkest and most important stories in Hawaii history. In 1866, the Hawaiian Kingdom began sending people diagnosed with Hansen’s disease, then commonly called leprosy, to the remote Kalaupapa peninsula, separating families and turning illness into exile. Over the next century, nearly 8,000 people were sent there.</p><p><br /></p><p>This episode follows the law, the fear, the family rupture, and the human cost behind Kalaupapa. It also traces the community people built anyway through care, faith, music, friendship, and endurance. You’ll hear the larger history behind Father Damien, Jonathan Napela, the removal of children from parents, the repeal of forced isolation in 1969, and the descendant-led work to restore names, graves, and family ties today.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kalaupapa is not just a Hawaii history story. It is a story about stigma, state power, Native Hawaiian loss, survival, and memory. If you’ve searched for Kalaupapa, Molokai history, Father Damien, Hansen’s disease in Hawaii, or the history of Hawaii’s leprosy settlement, this episode goes straight to the heart of it.</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Sources:</strong><br />A Brief History of Kalaupapa — <a href="https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/a-brief-history-of-kalaupapa.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/a-brief-history-of-kalaupapa.htm</a></p><p>The History of Hansen’s Disease in Hawaii — <a href="https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/hansensdisease.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/hansensdisease.htm</a></p><p>Father Damien — <a href="https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/damien.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.nps.gov/kala/learn/historyculture/damien.htm</a></p><p>The Kalaupapa Names Project — <a href="https://www.kalaupapaohana.org/kalaupapa-names-project?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.kalaupapaohana.org/kalaupapa-names-project</a></p><p>Kalaupapa Month honors settlement’s history and strength of those who were exiled — <a href="https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-01-17/kalaupapa-month-honors-settlements-history-and-strength-of-those-who-were-exiled?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-01-17/kalaupapa-month-honors-settlements-history-and-strength-of-those-who-were-exiled</a></p><p>Kalaupapa has thousands of unmarked graves. A proposed memorial would honor all who lived there — <a href="https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/the-conversation/2022-01-06/kalaupapa-has-thousands-of-unmarked-graves-a-proposed-memorial-would-honor-all-who-lived-there?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/the-conversation/2022-01-06/kalaupapa-has-thousands-of-unmarked-graves-a-proposed-memorial-would-honor-all-who-lived-there</a></p><p><br /></p><p>#Kalaupapa #Molokai #HawaiiHistory #HansensDisease #LeprosyHistory #FatherDamien #NativeHawaiianHistory #HistoryPodcast #HawaiiPodcast #BeneathThePalms</p>
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Beneath the Palms explores Hawaii’s true crime cases, unsolved mysteries, disappearances, historical injustices, and stories too often left in the shadows. From cold cases and notorious crimes to forgotten events that shaped the islands, each episode looks beyond paradise to the people, places, and truths still waiting to be remembered.
🎧 New episodes every Tuesday at 5AM HST.
Darkness may linger beneath the palms, but so does hope.
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