Investigation Launched in Homicide of 88-Year-Old

Honolulu police are investigating the death of an 88-year-old woman as a homicide after she died from a lethal medication prescribed under Hawaii's 'Our Care, Our Choice Act' (OCOCA). The act allows for self-administered use of such medication, but reports indicate that Dr. Pablo Stewart assisted her against her will. During the administration, the woman choked and signaled for the doctor to stop, but he continued, leading to her death. An autopsy confirmed the manner of death as homicide, marking the first such investigation related to OCOCA. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the physician's residence, though no arrests have been made yet. This incident has sparked discussions among lawmakers, some of whom view the act as equivalent to murder and call for accountability if the doctor is found guilty.