Update: Medical Examiner Says Marine Killed in Balcony Fall Had Been Drinking

Patch spoke with Dr. William W. Goodhue, acting chief medical examiner for Honolulu County, about the death of Camp Pendleton-trained Marine Luke Monahan. The 19-year-old Marine had been drinking when he fell 17 stories from the balcony of a Waikiki hotel, Goodhue said. An autopsy revealed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.087, slightly above the legal limit of 0.08. Goodhue's autopsy of the Marine's body also confirmed that the multiple blunt-force wounds Monahan sustained were consistent with a fall from 17 stories and impact with an air-conditioning unit.

This article updates a previous version.

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A grief-stricken family is left to look for answers after receiving word that their 19-year-old son had died Saturday morning after falling from a hotel balcony in Waikiki, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

Luke Monahan had just transferred from Camp Pendleton to Marine Corps Base Hawaii in January. Since the Marine had yet to see combat, his parents were shocked to get the call that their son had died. They received word from a woman at the hotel on Saturday, Monahan’s father, Terry, told the Star-Advertiser.

“She told me he fell eight stories,” Terry said. “My heart just dropped. How does someone fall eight stories?”

But hospital officials later told the Monahans that their son in fact fell 17 floors and had hit an air conditioning unit. Paramedics arrived at the scene early Saturday morning and had rushed Monahan to Queens Medical Center. He was later pronounced dead at 12:22 p.m.

Monahan’s parents said that they are still waiting to understand all of the circumstances of their son's death.

He was with two fellow Marines on a four-day pass for the holiday weekend, and had decided to stay at the popular resort area. Despite being only 19, Honolulu police said the three Marines were seen nightclubbing the night before Monahan died.

"I want answers and I want to talk to the two Marines that were in the room with him," Eileen, Monahan’s mother, told the Star-Advertiser. "I want to know if anyone gave him a drink because he was underage. I want to know if there was a fight or if there was a broken fence and he fell through it. He wouldn't just jump."

Monahan had contacted his parents via Skype just before the trip, where his mother recalls telling him to be careful. 

"I said 'Luke, remember you're only 19,' " his mother said. "'Don't drink, don't do anything bad.'"

City News Service contributed to this report.

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