I live in CA and have friends who live in HI. Both places are ridiculously expensive. I once had a manager from CO who was planning to move his family out here until he saw the price of houses. Anyway, the difference between overpriced CA and overpriced HI, is that you can get a well-paying job in CA, and the majority of jobs in HI are service jobs in hotels and restaurants. People work two or three jobs in both places to survive. LM, as we know now, was far from hard off. He had $8000 in US cash and the equivalent of $2000 in foreign currency on hand when he was arrested.
With the pedigree Luigi had, it seems to me that he could get a high paying government job. He lived on Oahu where there are a bunch of military installations.
I lived on Oahu for 4.5 years and got a government job at Ft. Shafter. Those jobs even pay extra with a COLA difference added to your paycheck. IMO, it is the local people who struggle to afford to live, with many family members often living under one roof.
I also didn't take a technical job with Chevron in San Ramon many years ago (at the beginning of my career) because of the expense. I instead took a job with BellSouth in Alabama which started me at the same salary.
San Francisco is one of the most expensive places to live and so is Honolulu, HI. IMO, this young man enjoyed the weather and outdoor type of lifestyle. Those were his main drivers. I actually ran a race every weekend and often did triathlons while living in Hawaii.
I just don't buy his physical health issues being the motive for this murder. He above others had the money and the family background to get the best care. In fact, his family is prominent in Baltimore, the home of Johns Hopkins. Is this where he had back surgery?
I have to think that this young man had something else going on, like, maybe, schizophrenia, if not a case of being spoiled and entitled. His friend in Hawaii said they often talked about capitalism, all the while living the high life afforded by capitalism. Go figure.
I think that there is a lot more to this story about Luigi. It's sad because I read that he went to a $40k a year high school and then went to an expensive Ivy League school for six years. By all accounts, this was a brilliant individual with a bright future.
JMO.