Despite high-profile killings including a recent fire death in Makiki and the shooting of a Kailua attorney, the number of homicides in Honolulu this year is low compared to comparable-sized Mainland cities and on pace to meet the decade's average.

There were eight murders through April, and since 1999, there have been an average of 23 killings in Honolulu every year, with a high of 37 in 1999.

While the numbers remain relatively static, the brazen nature and tragic circumstances surrounding some of the killings in the first four months of 2009 have shaken the community.

On March 27, feuding drug gangs in Chinatown set off a spree of violence that resulted in the shooting death of 35-year-old Joseph Peneueta near the corner of River and Pauahi streets.

Then on Easter Sunday, a man living in a Honolulu retirement complex allegedly shot Clare Silva to death while she was on the phone with her sister. On April 23, a Makiki home was burned to the ground after a dispute over stolen property. Two bodies were discovered in the charred remains of the home.

And last week, Kailua attorney Craig Kimsel was shot to death by an alleged stalker he had tried to evade.

"We are very concerned with homicides that occur in Honolulu," said Honolulu police Capt. Richard C. Robinson. "We consider every homicide a high priority case and allocate whatever resources are needed to ensure that a high-quality, thorough investigation is conducted. Our closure rate for homicide cases is consistently above the national average."

NOT THE MAINLAND

While the recent spate of killings has been out of the ordinary, Honolulu does not see the kind of violence that comparable Mainland cities do.

In Phoenix, a town routinely used as a benchmark for local law enforcement, there were 168 murders in 2008. From 1998 to 2008, Phoenix saw an average of 224 murders a year.

The FBI, the agency tasked with putting together the nation's Uniform Crime Report, says Honolulu is way down on the list of cities its size when it comes to violent crime.

"While these recent brazen killings are of great concern to us, it's important to note that Honolulu remains one of the safest major cities in the country," said FBI Special Agent Brandon Simpson. "Compared to cities of similar size on the Mainland, Honolulu generally does not deal with the same level or kind of violence. The FBI continues to work closely with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to keep violence out of our community."

Murder in Honolulu was a major issue in the 1980s and 1990s, when organized crime ran rampant and state laws allowed for probation or 20-year prison sentences for some killings.

FEWER KILLINGS

In 1980, there were 65 murders in Honolulu; In 1986 there were 46 — the two highest totals in the last 30 years, according to the state attorney general's office.

As murder laws have tightened and life sentences for murder convictions have become the rule rather than the exception, the number of killings has fallen off.

Couple that with an increased number of police officers and advances in medical technology, and more people are avoiding or surviving violence.

"Another reason (murders are low) is the amazing work done by our trauma centers, like Queen's Medical Center," said HPD's Robinson. "There have been cases where the victim was on the verge of death, and the trauma team at Queen's was able to save them."

City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle also credits tough local gun laws and the precedent being set by the parole board.

"The work of police and the law enforcement community in general has improved. ... The law has changed — no probation or 20-year sentence for murder, which you used to have. The parole board has routinely been giving people very long terms for murder," Carlisle said.