Dawn Momohara Murder: McKinley High School Hawaii Cold Case, Gideon Castro DNA Arrest, Unfinished Justice

Dawn Momohara murder. McKinley High School murder. Honolulu cold case. Hawaii true crime. In this Beneath the Palms episode, we revisit the 1977 killing of 16-year-old Dawn Momohara, found dead on campus at McKinley High School on March 21, 1977. Nearly 48 years later, advances in DNA testing helped investigators arrest former McKinley student Gideon Castro in Utah. Then the case shifted again, leaving Dawn’s family, classmates, and Honolulu still waiting for a final courtroom ending. This episode traces Dawn’s life, the night she vanished, the evidence left behind, the long cold-case silence, the DNA breakthrough, the Utah arrest, the extradition decision, and the release that pushed the case back into uncertainty. If you’re searching for Dawn Momohara, Gideon Castro, McKinley High School murder, Honolulu murder case, Oahu cold case, or Hawaii cold case DNA arrest, this episode is built to give you the clearest public-record timeline we have right now. If this story stays with you, follow Beneath the Palms on Spotify and wherever you listen. If you know something that has never been said out loud, CrimeStoppers Honolulu is 808-955-8300. Sources: Honolulu Police Department — Dawn Momohara cold case page — https://www.honolulupd.org/cold-case/dawn-momohara/ Hawaii News Now — Suspect arrested in 1977 cold case murder of McKinley High student — https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/01/22/suspect-arrested-1977-cold-case-murder-mckinley-high-student/ Hawaii News Now — Suspect in 1977 murder of McKinley High student will be extradited to Hawaii — https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/02/27/suspect-1977-murder-mckinley-high-student-will-be-extradited-hawaii/ Hawaii News Now — Judge orders release of McKinley High cold case murder suspect — https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/03/14/judge-orders-release-mckinley-high-cold-case-murder-suspect/ Honolulu Civil Beat — Grim Memories Resurface After Police Arrest Suspect In 1977 Hawaiʻi Murder — https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/01/grim-memories-resurface-after-police-arrest-suspect-in-1977-hawai%CA%BBi-murder/ Honolulu Civil Beat — Utah Judge Orders Release Of Suspect In 1977 Hawai‘i Killing After Prosecution Stalls — https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/03/utah-judge-orders-release-of-suspect-in-1977-hawaii-killing-after-prosecution-stalls/ Courthouse News Service — Honolulu won’t extradite suspect in 1977 murder case, needs more time to investigate — https://www.courthousenews.com/honolulu-wont-extradite-suspect-in-1977-murder-case-needs-more-time-to-investigate/ Associated Press — Grim memories resurface after DNA advances lead to arrest of suspect in Hawaii teen’s 1977 murder — https://apnews.com/article/6c877c9d710a44e7ab57ca42edfed988 The Pinion — Dawn Momohara — https://mhspinion.com/features/2025/03/21/dawn-momohara/ #DawnMomohara #GideonCastro #McKinleyHighSchool #HonoluluTrueCrime #HawaiiColdCase #OahuTrueCrime #BeneathThePalms #TrueCrimePodcast #ColdCase