On March 11, 1948, Therese Wilder, the 68-year-old widow of William Wilder, was killed in her home in Nuuanu Valley on the outskirts of Honolulu, Hawaii. The area was semirural rainforest at the time. Two petty criminals, James Majors (19) and John Palakiko (21), had escaped from a prison work crew the previous day, March 10, 1948. The pair originally intended to burglarize one of Wilder's neighbors for supplies, but after smelling food cooking in Wilder's home, they decided to target her house instead.
During the break-in, Majors and Palakiko attacked Wilder, binding and gagging her before leaving her on her bed. In the course of the struggle, Wilder's jaw was broken. She subsequently suffocated as a result of being gagged while her jaw was broken. Her body was discovered five days later, on March 16, 1948, by her gardener, Isabelo Escalante, and her maid, Miya Matayoshi.
The Honolulu Board of Supervisors offered a reward for the capture of those responsible, and Majors and Palakiko were apprehended a few days after the killing. On April 16, 1948, they were charged with first-degree murder in the court of Judge Carrick Buck. Majors pleaded not guilty, while Palakiko requested to postpone his plea. On June 18, 1948, a jury found both men guilty of first-degree murder, and they were sentenced to death by hanging.
The case drew comparisons to the earlier Massie case, and some Native Hawaiian, Chinese, and Japanese community members viewed the sentence as reflecting a double standard in Hawaiian society at the time.
On September 13, 1951, Hawaii Governor Oren Long issued a stay of execution just 15 minutes before the men's scheduled hangings, after attorney Harriet Bouslog presented evidence that the men's confessions had been coerced. In 1954, Governor Samuel King commuted their sentences from death to 90 years in prison. On December 21, 1962, Governor John Burns further commuted the sentences to probation.
Palakiko later violated the terms of his parole and was returned to prison for three years; he died on September 11, 1974. Majors completed his parole on December 20, 1968, later moved to Maui, and died there of natural causes in 2009.
Following the killing, the nearby bend in the road known as Morgan's Corner — named for Dr. James Morgan, who had built a villa there in the 1920s, opposite Wilder's house — gained a lasting reputation for being haunted, with local stories often echoing the "The Hook" urban legend.
Key facts
- Victims
- Therese Wilder
- Date
- 1968
- Location
- Nuuanu Valley, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
1948-03-10
James Majors and John Palakiko escape from a prison work crew.
1948-03-11
Majors and Palakiko break into Therese Wilder's Nuuanu Valley home; Wilder is bound and gagged and suffocates.
1948-03-16
Wilder's body is discovered by her gardener, Isabelo Escalante, and her maid, Miya Matayoshi.
1948-04-16
Majors and Palakiko are charged with first-degree murder before Judge Carrick Buck.
1948-06-18
A jury finds both men guilty of first-degree murder; they are sentenced to death by hanging.
1951-09-13
Governor Oren Long grants a stay of execution 15 minutes before the scheduled hangings after evidence of forced confessions is presented.
1954
Governor Samuel King commutes the sentences from death to 90 years in prison.
1962-12-21
Governor John Burns commutes the sentences to probation.
1968-12-20
Majors completes parole.
1974-09-11
Palakiko dies in prison after a parole violation.
2009
Majors dies of natural causes on Maui.
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People
John Palakiko
CONVICTEDConvicted of first-degree murder in 1948; sentenced to death, later commuted to 90 years and then to probation; returned to prison after parole violation; died 1974.
Therese Wilder
VICTIM68-year-old widow killed during a home invasion burglary in Nuuanu Valley in 1948.
James Majors
CONVICTEDConvicted of first-degree murder in 1948; sentenced to death, later commuted to 90 years and then to probation; completed parole in 1968; died 2009.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- Therese Wilder, a 68-year-old widow, was bound and gagged during a burglary at her Nuuanu Valley home in 1948 by two escaped convicts and suffocated as a result; both men were convicted of first-degree murder, sentenced to death, and later had their sentences commuted.
- Where did the murder happen?
- Nuuanu Valley, Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Who was convicted?
- John Palakiko (Convicted of first-degree murder in 1948; sentenced to death, later commuted to 90 years and then to probation; returned to prison after parole violation; died 1974.) and James Majors (Convicted of first-degree murder in 1948; sentenced to death, later commuted to 90 years and then to probation; completed parole in 1968; died 2009.).
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
Related cases
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Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Therese WilderWikipedia · 2026-07-05
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — archives.starbulletin.comarchives.starbulletin.com · 2026-07-05
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — honolulumagazine.comhonolulumagazine.com · 2026-07-05
Record history
- First published
- JUL 05, 2026
- Last verified against sources
- JUL 05, 2026