It’s been two weeks since the tragedies of Diamond Head where someone I had once considered a friend, murdered three people, burned down my neighborhood, and then committed suicide.  So here are my personal experiences to the rest of the story.

Jarda aka Jerry Handl had been so helpful to our neighborhood before he went into the abyss of his illness. I had known him for almost 20 years and he had been an integral personality for years helping neighbors fix their plumbing, termite porches, guarding the neighborhood children while trick or treating on Halloween, being the barbecue Chef at our neighborhood July 4th parties, etc.  He often gave me fresh eggs from his chickens and he and Lois had been good friends for many years.  

Jarda had come to Hawaii for a fresh start after his house in Boston had burned down. Once here, he decided the Diamond Head area was where he would live and became a caretaker for a mansion on Makalei Drive, then over several years worked as a site/resident manager for two condominium properties on Kalakaua Avenue and did many outside handyman jobs.

Seven years ago he was fired from his last job as a day manager for a condominium project because of his rude abrupt behavior with owners.  It was a job Lois had helped him get.  He was then 62 and his reputation as someone who was difficult had stopped him from any further work in the area.  With nothing to force him to focus, something happened to his mind.  He started to have altercations, some violent with several neighbors who then got TROs against him.  He was now believing others were spies and/or working for the KGB, the secret police of Russia.  He started stalking people, driving around some neighbors’ homes taking pictures of them.  He would often chase and confront tourists taking photographs around the neighborhood demanding they delete them as he thought they were taking his picture for the FBI or CIA.  He got surveillance cameras in his house and in Lois’ car.  He stopped watching TV and only viewed his cameras, day and night.  He was sullen, paranoid, angry, suspicious of everyone and everything, and he became very distant.  We all could see his mental health declining and as time went on, it felt more dangerous to be around him.

He once told me as he knew how much I love animals that he had had a little fox terrier dog who loved to eat carrots and he loved that little girl with all his heart and soul, but unfortunately, she perished in the fire of his home.  He said he was never the same after her death and it attributed to his anger with his wife, his divorce, and moving to Hawaii. He grieved for many years for that little dog.  When he got his last dog, Butch, he devoted his life and everything to him.  I would see them together; morning, noon, and night, endlessly walking around the park and neighborhood, side by side. Then after Butch died 18 months ago something really went haywire within him and he fell into the darkest depths of his mental disorder.  It now appeared his illness had completed its control over him. 

Two weeks before Lois died, she and I had a long talk and she told me Jarda had given up his chickens so she felt comfortable that he would be moving out soon, but for me that was a red flag and I told her so, because he loved those chickens as much as he loved his Butch. I told Lois that Jarda was up to something and he had previously told me he would never leave her house, he would burn it down.  I also told her to tread carefully and that I was fearful he could harm her, but she said, “He’s not like that, I’m not afraid of him.” 

On the morning of January 19th, 2020, my fears became reality.  From a deranged mind, came so much destruction and death.

The night of the tragedies at eight pm I received a call from the homicide detective who had interviewed me that morning asking if I could come back to the park to talk to the fire inspectors.  Under floodlights I met with three inspectors who asked me if I knew the floor plan of Lois’ house. I said yes as I had appraised it several years ago.  I drew out the layout and confirmed it by pulling up the design on line with my phone to show them.  The chief inspector asked me if I knew if Jarda had gasoline around the house.  I hadn’t been inside the home for some years, but I did know he kept kerosene, gasoline, a small propane tank, and many flammable materials for various uses at the house.  That night I didn’t get much sleep.

The next day, Monday, January 20th, the chief fire inspector called at 9:30 am and asked me to come down to see him one more time.  The FBI and ATF investigators were the first to exam and review the site and had been there since dawn and now he was about to start his investigation.  He wanted to confirm with me Jarda’s living area and he again asked me about gasoline.  I said, “The fire was so hot, like nothing I have ever experienced and it spread so fast.  He must have had a lot more accelerants then I saw the last time I was there.”  The Inspector did not reply.

 As our conversation was ending, I pointed to my drawing where I believed they would find the bodies of Lois and Jarda.  He asked why I thought this and I told him because Lois’ location would be in the laundry area where Jen Tema had heard Jarda bludgeoning her body. I also knew Jarda would never leave his downstairs living area where he spent his days watching his security cameras and playing with Butch.  This was his happy place. Three days later, it was confirmed, the bodies were where I thought they would be downstairs.

I keep asking myself why did the universe put me there at that time on that fateful day. I always walk my dogs early in the morning but on that Sunday it was so beautiful and cool, we were snuggling when I finally said, “Come on, let’s go.”  If I had been 10 minutes earlier or 10 minutes later I would have missed all the carnage.

I have come to believe the reasons were, first; I learned from my experience that Love abounds, even in the most horrific times…when I asked people to pray for us on my live posts, something happened and I really felt a protection surround us…I was scared at times, but for the most part had a sense of calmness and just knew my dogs and I would be okay in the end…I have always been a person of Faith and I felt the warmth of many people’s energy that day…Second, I saw how first responders; police, SWAT, EMS, and fire personnel risk their lives everyday to protect us from harm’s way.  I will never be able to thank enough those HPD and SWAT officers, especially those who protected and helped me search for Jen and Eric Tema's children, and who got us out of the inferno...And third, to tell everyone, that while mental illness is quite a difficult thing to grasp, it is very real and without assistance for the sick, it can and will cause strife, destruction, and murder.  As a community we all need to step up more and do something about individuals who are clearly a threat to others.

People have asked about my PTSD. I know my dogs and I have it.  With any loud noises like sirens and motorcycles they start to shake and I get anxious.  I am not sleeping well, forgetful, and not very hungry.  I have only cried twice; when watching on TV Officer Kaulike Kalama’s sunset celebration at Sandy Beach and Officer Tiffany-Victoria Enriquez’s final salute.  I know working through PTSD is a process as I have been chatting a lot with psychologists and in time, I know we will all be okay. 

Sadly, the owners of Pepper found his remains today in the ashes that were once their home.  He was only 2.5 feet from where his brother, Basil had perished. They were together in life and left together in death. I will miss them both terribly, particularly Basil as he always greeted us every morning for a rub and a chat…Basil was a kitty who I think believed he was part dog.  They were so loved and they both loved everyone, especially their humans.

Hibiscus Avenue had a Blessing this past Saturday morning and while my neighbors are still in shock, they are coping and moving forward.

God Bless Officers Enriquez and Kalama…I truly hope the world will never forget how their lives were taken as they protected us that fateful day.