Arrest made in Manoa murder case

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Honolulu Police Department held a press conference where Lt. Deena Thoemmes spoke on the recent arrest made in the Manoa murder case.

On Friday, Oct. 11, HPD arrested 44-year-old Gibran Copeland for the murder of his girlfriend Christina Baca.

Police said over the course of four weeks they interviewed many witnesses, did DNA traces, and watched hours of surveillance footage.

“Reportdly, Copeland and Christina had been involved in previous domestic dispute incidents,” Lt. Thoemmes explained. “He was described as being obsessed with Christina.”

On Sept. 13, HPD said her decomposing body was found near UH faculty housing in a storm drain.

“Near her, officers found 9 mm shell casings, along with several other items, including a plastic water bottle and female clothing,” Lt. Thoemmes added.

The medical examiner said she was shot multiple times. A Chaminade University professor and director of forensics estimated her time of death between Sept. 7 and Sept. 10, 2024.

“A witness had reported on Sept. 8, at about 2 a.m. that she heard approximately six gunshots,” explained Thoemmes.

Police said surveillance footage showed Copeland and Christina walking towards the storm drain on campus the night before. Copeland was then seen leaving the storm drain alone around 2:35 a.m.

Police said Copeland had a storage facility on Waialae Ave. After obtaining a search warrant, they found a shirt that looked like the one he was wearing on surveillance cameras when Christina was last seen alive. They also found a skateboard that he was seen riding around campus on.

Police said gunshot residue tests were conducted on items of evidence and tested positive.

Police arrested Copeland at his Kahala campsite around 7 a.m. on Friday.

His bail had been set at $1 million.

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