Homicide detectives met with patrol officers and officers with the Criminal Investigation Division this morning to discuss possible links between two home invasion robberies — one which resulted in a fatal stabbing — on O'ahu within a 24-hour span.

The suspects' descriptions in both cases — a robbery last night in St. Louis Heights and the homicide in Pearl City early yesterday morning — are similar enough that a possible link has to be considered, CID Capt. Richard Robinson said.

"At this point there's no true investigation linking the two cases and they are being investigated separately," Robinson said. "But with the similarity in the suspect descriptions and that they were both similar home invasions within 24 hours, you have to look at possible connections and share information internally."

The most recent break-in occurred at 11 p.m. last night.

A 21-year-old man who was in the home told police he was there with nine other tenants or friends when there was a knock at the door.

One of the people inside the home opened the door and the three robbers forced their way into the home, the man told police.

He said one of the three intruders held up an assault rifle and ordered those inside the home to lie on the floor.

Two of the victims were struck by the rifle butt, police said. Both were treated by city paramedics at the scene but declined further treatment.

Police said all three robbers wore black "hoodies" and black pants and were African-American.

The first is in his early to mid-20s, stands 5-feet-8 to 5-feet-9, and weighs about 250 pounds, police said.

The second is in his early 20s, stands 6 feet tall and weighs 170 to 180 pounds. The third man was described as being in his early 20s, about 5-feet-7 and weighing 240 to 250 pounds.

Police were told the men asked about a former tenant and demanded drugs from the current residents. When they didn't find the former tenant, they robbed the victims of cell phones, wallets and other items before leaving, police said.

The latest home-invasion robbery comes on the heels of a similar incident at 1 a.m. Monday on Noelani Street in Pearl City in which a 29-year-old man was fatally stabbed at a residence at 98-825 Noelani St.

The victim, identified today by the city Department of the Medical Examiner as Brendan Caires, was fatally stabbed and his 27-year-old girlfriend was struck in the head with the butt of a handgun.

Police said the suspects are both African-American and wore hooded black sweatshirts and black pants. Both suspects are believed to be in their early 20s.

One stands 6 feet tall and weighs 140 to 160 pounds; the other stands 5-feet-10 to 6 feet and has a slim build, police said.

"As far as height descriptions, you can't always say those are real accurate," Robinson said. "In a (recent robbery near the University of Hawai'i at Manoa), one victim told the detective the suspect was 'tall like you,' but the detective was only 5-foot-6. People gauge heights differently."

In Pearl City, the suspects covered their identities with white goalie masks. In the St. Louis Heights robbery, they wore brown bandannas. There was no forced entry in either case.

Witnesses in the Pearl City attack said the suspects demanded undisclosed items from Caires. An argument ensued and Caires was stabbed once in the chest.

"They came into the house and stabbed my son and dragged him out into the yard," the victim's father, Alfred Caires, told The Advertiser on Monday. "I have no idea why they did it."

Robinson said there is no evidence to suggest the robberies and invasions are gang-related. He added that police are investigating several leads in the Pearl City case, but declined to get more specific.

Police Maj. Frank Fujii said Monday that police believe there was an association between Caires and his attackers.

"We believe there may have been an association between the victim and the suspects," Fujii said. "It was not random. The house was unlocked at the time. There was no forced entry."