A mother with local ties, Lesley Hu, created a nonprofit in honor of her 9-year-old son Pierce. He was killed in 2021 by his father, her ex-husband, in a murder-suicide in San Francisco during a child custody dispute over the COVID-19 vaccine. Pierce used to come to Hawaiʻi because his grandparents have a business in the islands.
His favorite haunts on Oʻahu were Alan Davis Beach in East Honolulu and Ala Moana Shopping Center. We came across their story thanks to Eric Pape, a former journalist with Honolulu Civil Beat, who penned an article for The Atavist Magazine, an online platform for long-form narratives.
The Conversation talked to Hu and Pape about Hu's story, Pierce's Pledge, gun violence, and more.
This story aired on The Conversation on Dec. 5, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
