Theresa Cachuela: Hawaiian influencer shot dead in murder-suicide by ex-husband in front of daughter

OAHU, HAWAII: A tragedy unfolded as a Hawaiian social media influencer and beauty entrepreneur lost her life in a case of murder-suicide, where her estranged husband fatally shot her in the presence of their daughter, according to authorities.

On the morning of December 22, Theresa Cachuela, a 33-year-old mother of three and the owner of House of Glam Hawaii LLC in Waipahu, tragically lost her life when she was shot in the head by her estranged husband, Jason Cachuela, 44, in the parking lot of Pearlridge Center.

As per the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports, the heart-wrenching incident was witnessed by the victim's daughter, who bravely informed the police that her father was the one who pulled the trigger.

The identity of the girl, understandably withheld for privacy reasons, is said to be approximately 6 or 7 years old, according to KITV.

The killer later committed suicide 

Following the heinous act, Jason fled the scene in a gray Mazda, subsequently taking his own life by gunshot. Authorities are currently investigating the incident as a murder-suicide.

This tragic event unfolded merely two weeks after a judge had granted Cachuela's petition for an order of protection against her estranged husband.

What did the authorities say?

"This was not a random act, as the victim and suspect were involved in a relationship," stated Police Lieutenant Deena Thoemmes on Friday, as reported by the Hawaii Tribune, before the gunman was discovered dead.

“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.

When police served Jason with the TRO, they reportedly recovered his five registered firearms, according to the outlet.

Victim's mother speaks out after her daughter's death

"Her youngest daughter is the one that tragically saw everything," shared Cachuela’s mother, Lucita Ani-Nihoa, with Hawaii News Now. "She’s traumatized. She has so much faith, this little girl. She just … started praying."

Ani-Nihoa added, "She doesn’t believe it. She doesn’t believe her mom is gone. I don’t believe it.”

Jason previously threatened to kill himself 

The Hawaii Tribune reported that Cachuela threatened to kill himself in front of her according to the petition for the TRO. 

“He then took me alone to Waikiki and held a knife to his neck traumatizing me and scaring me,” she wrote, according to the outlet. “The next morning he showed up to my house early to apologize. I tried to help him and talk to him but he kept threatening to kill himself again.”

Cachuela’s mother described the tragic shooting on a GoFundMe page. She said her daughter, whom the family called “Tita,” 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.

“We are so devastated with the loss of our beloved Tita. This has been so difficult for our family which we were not prepared for,” the grieving mother continued.

“We are currently asking for donations to help cover any funeral expenses for Tita as we would like to give her the memorial she deserves to honor her memory and say our last goodbyes,” she added.

Jason abused Theresa before death

Ani-Nihoa stated that her daughter had informed relatives that she had been subjected to abuse by her husband. She filed the TRO due to his persistent harassment and stalking, as reported by Hawaii News Now.

“She wanted to leave him but he wasn’t accepting it. He tried to control her with everything … where she would go and what she would do,” Ani-Nihoa told the outlet, adding that her daughter had recently filed for divorce.

According to KITV, Jason was permitted to contact Theresa for child custody matters, and they had been married for 10 years.

Jason’s attorney, Michael Green, mentioned that the couple had agreed to visitation arrangements for the children, as reported by HNN.