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Dayson “Dace” Kaae, 24, consented to steal an illegal game room at the Don Quijote shop on Kaheka Street, near Ala Moana Center, after being threatened for failing to collect a meth debt “fronted” by a violent dealer.
On Oct. 15, 2017, Kaae entered the game room with a rifle.
Poor performance. Kaae lost his gun after being attacked by a gaming room guard and sustained head injuries. He was hospitalized and arrested for terroristic threats and a gun violation. After witnesses declined to participate, he was freed.
Kaae tried to loot a Kailua tattoo business five weeks later. Kaae and another guy attacked and kicked the business owner, who then stabbed Kaae many times. Police found Kaae dead in the getaway car, which had been abandoned a block away.
Kaae’s relatives and friends said they were trying to understand what occurred. Who was with him at the tattoo shop, and what was he doing?
The narrative of the drug debt and two attempted robberies that led to Kaae’s death may now be pieced together from federal court documents, signed plea bargains with individuals who have already pleaded guilty, published stories, and public sources.
Meth Now, Pay Later
Kaae feared drug dealer Jacob “Jake” Smith’s reprisal, despite being 24 and friends. Smith was part of a racketeering and drug-trafficking scheme reportedly owned and directed by former Honolulu company owner Michael J. Miske Jr.
His father taught Smith Tae Kwon Do and kickboxing as a youngster in Kaneohe. Prosecutors allege Miske’s half-brother John Stancil recruited Smith to rob rival narcotics traffickers in 2015. A longtime friend told FBI agents that Smith “robbed individuals and trafficked narcotics”
In December 2016, the FBI had “probable cause” to think Smith had participated in Miske’s murder-for-hire conspiracy to abduct and kill 21-year-old Jonathan Fraser. The Fraser murder is not addressed in Smith’s plea deal reached with prosecutors.
Miske and 10 co-defendants, including Stancil, were charged with conspiracy to violate federal racketeering statutes, kidnapping and murder-for-hire, assault, use of a harmful chemical as a weapon, and conspiracy to distribute narcotics (including methamphetamine, marijuana, and oxycodone).
Later, two additional defendants were added. All but five of Miske’s co-defendants have pled guilty to racketeering charges.
Smith and at least six others have pled guilty to being members or affiliates of the Miske Enterprise and will testify against Miske and others in April.
The Game Room
A buddy owed Smith “a considerable amount of money” for methamphetamine Smith “fronted” him, according to Smith’s November 2020 plea bargain.
Smith’s description matched press coverage of the failed gaming room heist, which identified Kaae when he was detained at the spot.
Smith threatened physical danger if the guy didn’t pay him back. According to the plea deal, Smith’s companion recommended robbing an unlicensed gambling facility near Don Quijote.
Kaae and another unnamed acquaintance entered the game room as Smith and another individual watched from across the street.
Kaae’s unpaid drug debt remained a concern after his imprisonment.
When One Visit The Hairdresser
Smith and Kaae were spotted at Kakaako.
On Nov. 2, 2017, a Honolulu dealer noticed a stolen Mercedes Benz e350. The car was parked outside Bliss salon and barbershop on Kamakee Street, according to an ATF document from April 2018.
Graham’s affidavit supported a warrant for Smith’s phones. Judge Derrick Watson released 47 search warrants and related documents. Civil Beat sued to unseal the documents.
Graham said he observed Jacob Smith “exit the Bliss Salon and push the Mercedes key fob” and see the lights flicker.
Smith noticed the dealer, parked, and walked inside. Later, Kaae left Bliss, checked out the merchant, and returned.
Policing. The salesperson, Kaae, and Smith were questioned. Both “denied knowing Mercedes.”
Vehicle search. They found a firearm and Jake Smith’s Louis Vuitton ticket in the trunk. ATF officials discovered surveillance video from the Louis Vuitton store at Ala Moana Center showing Smith and another man buying items at the indicated time.
Aloha Tattoo
Two males visited Aloha Tattoo Co. in Kailua weeks after Smith and Kaae met. 27 November, following Thanksgiving.
Smith followed Kaae. Graham’s affidavit says Smith wore a black and white skull mask and videotaped Kaae’s CW5 encounter. The document names Tim Goodrich as CW5.
Kaae punched CW5 unexpectedly. Kaae allegedly responded with kicks and punches. Goodrich stabbed Kaae “often.” Authorities arrested Goodrich for second-degree murder after the incident.
Myles Breiner, a Honolulu attorney, said Kaae attacked Goodrich with a legal 3-inch knife. According to accounts, Goodrich acted in self-defense. Graham claims Kaae and Smith hurried to a waiting gold 1999 Toyota Camry. One was Mike Miske’s half-brother John Stancil. The abandoned Camry became proof.
A witness told the FBI that Smith’s girlfriend picked him, Stancil, and another person up after the Camry was disabled. Smith contacted his friend during the altercation, according to an affidavit.
FBI and ATF agents searched the Camry and found a mask resembling Smith’s, black gloves, a baton, 9mm ammunition, and a.45 caliber revolver barrel, as well as correspondence, addressed to Stancil.
CW5, alias Goodrich, informed police that Miske’s Kaneohe tattoo business was a likely motive. Goodrich told officers he thought Smith filmed the encounter for Miske or his friends.
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