Primary suspect identified in 1994 Waikiki murder case through DNA, fingerprint analysis

The primary suspect in an unsolved Waikiki murder case nearly 30 years old has been identified through DNA comparisons and reexaminations of fingerprints at the scene.

The Honolulu Police Department closed the cold case involving the death of 37-year-old Lisa “Lika” Fracassi, who was found dead in her Waikiki apartment on Nahua Street on Nov. 3, 1994. Fracassi was reportedly strangled and was last seen the morning of Oct. 31, 1994, in the Waikiki area.

Cecil H. Trent was identified as the primary and likely only suspect in the case. Trent was 29 years old at the time of Fracassi’s death. He died in 2013 in Honolulu.

HPD, along with the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General, Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Division, used the services of the private forensic-genetics company Parabon NanoLabs to examine DNA evidence and fingerprints from the investigation.

Parabon Genealogist CeCe Moore was able to form a list of suspects and, after examining fingerprints and DNA, narrow it down to Trent.