Eugene Walter Barrett was not a warning sign Hawaii missed once. He was a man whose name appeared again and again in Honolulu court records, parole history, old newspaper archives, and finally in the memories of families left behind after three women were gone. This episode of Beneath the Palms follows the case of Eugene Walter Barrett, a Honolulu killer connected to the deaths of Annie Phillips in 1959, Roberta Ululani Barrett in 1972, and Doneshia “Roxanne” Kastner in 1995. Annie Phillips was a mother of five. Roberta Ululani Barrett was a young mother whose life should still have been ahead of her. Roxanne Kastner was a wife, a mother, and a woman remembered as warm, outgoing, and full of life. Each woman deserved more than the court record gave her. Each woman deserved to be remembered by name. The central question in this episode is not just what Eugene Barrett did. It is how a man who had already killed was released, and then released again, before another woman died. The record moves through domestic violence, parole decisions, reduced charges, psychiatric concerns, and the long shadow left on children who had to grow up with loss no child should carry. In Roxanne’s case, her seven-year-old son Ethan was outside riding his bicycle when he heard gunshots. He saw Gene leaving the building. Then he went inside and found his mother on the bedroom floor. His words afterward still carry the weight of the entire case: “Gene shot mommy.” This is a Hawaii true crime story, but it is also a domestic violence story. It is about patterns, missed warnings, and the danger of treating each violent incident as if it exists alone. Annie, Roberta, and Roxanne were not footnotes in Eugene Barrett’s life. They were women, mothers, loved ones, and people whose lives mattered before they became part of this record. Listener discretion is advised. This episode discusses domestic violence, stalking behavior, threats, murder, child witnesses, and grief carried by surviving families. Sources: Man killed 3 Honolulu women over 36-year period - https://archives.starbulletin.com/2003/12/13/news/story14.html Accused killer says he tried to get help - https://ipac2.librarieshawaii.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?booklistformat=&profile=main&session=U508440X5W234.39&uri=full%3D3100001~%21127817~%210 Shooting suspect faces charges - https://ipac2.librarieshawaii.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?booklistformat=&profile=main&session=17W45I30636A4.702196&uri=full%3D3100001~%21342142~%210 Honolulu Star-Bulletin Archive: Saturday, December 13, 2003 - https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/273864862/ The Ballad of Mean Gene Barrett - https://medium.com/%40truecrimeotaku/the-ballad-of-mean-gene-barrett-3296f44c704e Doneshia “RoxAnne” Kastner, age 41 - https://gunmemorial.org/1995/08/11/doneshia-roxanne-kastner Additional research included archived Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Honolulu Advertiser newspaper coverage from 1953, 1956, 1959, 1971 through 1973, 1995, and 1997, including court reporting, parole history, sentencing coverage, and public memorial material connected to Doneshia “Roxanne” Kastner. Hashtags: #HawaiiTrueCrime #EugeneBarrett #RoxanneKastner #BeneathThePalms #DomesticViolenceAwareness
