A tragedy unfolded as Theresa Cachuela, a 33-year-old Hawaiian social media influencer and beauty entrepreneur, was fatally shot in the head by her estranged husband, Jason Cachuela, 44. The incident occurred in front of her daughter in the parking lot of Pearlridge Center on Friday morning. Authorities are investigating the heartbreaking incident as a murder-suicide, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. Mrs Theresa, a mother of three and the owner of House of Glam Hawaii LLC in Waipahu lost her life in this deeply distressing event.
According to KITV, her 8-year-old daughter witnessed the shooting and told the police that her father pulled the trigger. Jason Cachuela shot himself shortly after fleeing the scene in a grey Mazda.
The police are investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide, which occurred two weeks after a judge granted Mrs Cacheula's petition for an order of protection against her estranged husband, the New York Times reported.
"This was not a random act, as the victim and suspect were involved in a relationship," police Lt. Deena Thoemmes said Friday before the gunman was found dead, according to the Hawaii Tribune.
"We do know that there was a TRO that was served on him, which is why this case was classified as murder in the first degree," she said, referring to a temporary restraining order.
Police recovered five registered firearms from the property of Jason Cachuela.
"Her youngest daughter is the one that tragically saw everything," Cachuela's mother, Lucita Ani-Nihoa, told Hawaii News Now. "She's traumatized. She has so much faith, this little girl. She just ... started praying."
She added: "She doesn't believe it. She doesn't believe her mom is gone. I don't believe it."
As per the petition for the TRO, Jason Cachuela threatened to kill himself in front of her.
"He then took me alone to Waikiki and held a knife to his neck traumatizing me and scaring me," she wrote, according to the Hawaii Tribune. "The next morning he showed up to my house early in the morning to apologize. I tried to help him and talk to him but he kept threatening to kill himself again."
Mrs Cachuela's mother described the tragic shooting on a GoFundMe page. She said her daughter planned to have breakfast with her Friday morning.
"I wanted to give her and my grandkids their Christmas gifts," Ani-Nihoa wrote. "My daughter did not deserve this. She was trying so hard to get help, but the Justice system failed her," she wrote.
