Marine Corps Base Hawaii officials say they received complaints of domestic disputes and tried to help the troubled couple with law enforcement intervention and counseling before a 27-year-old woman was stabbed to death on the side of the H3 Freeway Thursday allegedly by her Marine ex-husband.
U.S. Marine Bryant Tejadacastillo, 29, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of killing Dana Alotaibi. Alotaibi was a self-described musician, artist and adult content creator who maintained more than 169,000 followers on her OnlyFans, YouTube and Instagram accounts. She was stabbed and slashed to death with a Gerber Suspension multi-tool that includes 12 tools like knife blades, saw, scissors and screwdrivers, according to multiple law enforcement sources with knowledge of the ongoing investigation.
Tejadacastillo was charged at 6:50 p.m. Friday with second-degree murder and his bail is set at $1 million.
The attack occurred off the H-3 westbound lanes near the Kamehameha Highway off-ramp. Good Samaritans tried to stop the attack but couldn’t save Alotaibi. Tejadacastillo, assigned to the 3rd Littoral Combat Team at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe, remains hospitalized after he allegedly stabbed himself with the same knife police say he used to kill his wife.
In public social media posts on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and private messages, Alotaibi and her friends say Alotaibi’s multiple reports to Tejadacastillo’s chain of command of domestic violence were ignored. She alleged Tejadacastillo threatened to kill her.
There were multiple instances where the Military Police at MCBH and Honolulu Police Department responded to domestic disputes both on MCBH and off base, according to 1st Lt. Isaac Liston, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment.
Immediately following these incidents, the command referred the Marine and his spouse to the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) for counseling and support. The command also issued no contact orders prohibiting Tejedacastillo from contacting Alotaibi in any manner outside of supervised FAP services, said Liston.
The Marine’s command remained engaged with both the subject and the victim, responding to all reported allegations from Alotaibi. In addition to prohibiting Tejedacastillo from contacting his estranged wife, the command also disciplined him in March 2022, for violating those orders and for communicating a threat to Alotaibi, Liston told the Star-Advertiser in a statement.
“We can confirm that the Marine suspect’s command was engaged with both him and the victim, and were responsive to those allegations and concerns that the command was made aware of. Due to the ongoing nature of the criminal investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further on this topic,” said Liston.
Tejadacastillo is a rifleman assigned to the 3d Littoral Combat Team, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, has been charged by the City and County of Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with second-degree murder in the death of his ex-wife, Alotaibi, Tejedacastillo is from New York and entered the Marine Corps on Feb. 16, 2016, and his military occupational specialty is 0311 Rifleman.
Marine Corps Base Hawaii provides a variety of programs and services through their Marine & Family Programs Division that are available to all service members and their families. One of these services is the Marine Corps Family Advocacy Program, which aims at directly addressing domestic violence through prevention, education, reporting, intervention and treatment, according to 1st Lt. Mark McDonough, a Marine Corps Base Hawaii spokesman.
“The FAP office utilizes seminars, workshops, treatment groups, counseling, and intervention services in order to enhance life skills and improve quality of life. The clinical staff is licensed and trained to deal with family violence and are ready to provide counseling services at the request of individuals or unit chains of command,” said McDonough.
Victim Advocates are available 24/7 to support military members and dependents who are the victims of domestic violence or believe they are at risk of future domestic violence.
“We can confirm that these programs and services were made available to both the suspect and victim,” said Liston.
Alotaibi’s social media posts outlined allegations that Tejadacastillo cheated on her by using a premium Tinder dating app account while on a six-month deployment to Japan, a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
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Star-Advertiser reporter Mark Ladao contributed to this report.