Drugs played a
heavy role in Hawaii
murder cases

A six-year survey shows
the killer or victim was addicted
in 44.3 percent of the cases

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

Brian Kikuyama was addicted to crystal methamphetamine in June 1992 when he killed his Pearl City neighbor, Lily Pang, during a robbery.

At his sentencing, Kikuyama blamed his actions on a "drug-crazed insanity."

Another convicted murderer, Frank Janto, admitted he had been high on "ice" for three days when he beat Bongak "Jackie" Koja to death last June in Wahiawa.

A report released today on murder in Hawaii from 1992 to 1997 found there was substance use by either the offender or victim in 44.3 percent of Hawaii's 280 murder cases during the six-year study period.

While alcohol and other dangerous drugs don't cause murder -- people do that -- we cannot ignore how often substance use and violence go hand in hand," Attorney General Margery Bronster said of the Crime Trend Series findings.

According to the report, the real numbers may be higher because cases with no conclusive evidence of substance use are counted as "no substance use" rather than "unknown."

"Substance use occurs so frequently in Hawaii's murder cases that it can almost be expected," concluded research chief Paul Perrone of the attorney general's office, who coauthored the report with James Richmond.The findings are no surprise to state Public Safety Director Keith Kaneshiro, a former city prosecutor.

"The tendency is that drug offenders are likely to commit violent offenses because they are desperate and unpredictable," Kaneshiro said. "We have to do something, and not all of it should be treatment, prison, education or enforcement. There has to be a balanced approach."

Use of drugs such as crystal meth can have explosive consequences when combined with domestic violence, said Deputy Chief Michael Carvalho, who formerly commanded the Honolulu Police Department's Narcotics/Vice Division.

"The reaction of drug users can range from paranoia to hallucination to violent behavior that one who is not using drugs would not commit," Carvalho said.

Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Peter Carlisle says alcohol also plays a significant role in domestic violence murders and assaults.

"Alcohol affects judgment ... making people uninhibited," Carlisle said. "The most dangerous drug in Honolulu has been, is now and will always be alcohol."

The attorney general's study also found that murders most often are committed by and against men, who accounted for 92 percent of offenders and 66.4 percent of victims. Most of the men involved were in their early- to mid-30s, and were far more likely than women to be shot to death.

"Males were twice as likely to be murdered by a friend, acquaintance, co-worker or neighbor," the report says. "Female victims were almost eight times more likely than male victims to be killed by someone with whom they had shared a romantic relationship."

Among the noteworthy trends was that 30 percent of women offenders' victims were children as compared to fewer than than 10 percent for men.

One-fifth of the cases involved an offender who was a stranger to the victim, the study noted.

Two hundred people were murdered on Oahu during the study period, accounting for 71.4 percent of the state's total. The Big Island followed with 44 murders while Maui had 13 and Kauai 13.

Honolulu homicide Lt. Allen Napoleon said domestic disputes were the primary motive in nearly one-third of Oahu's 35 cases in 1997."Most came at the tail end of a relationship, an 'If I can't have you then nobody will' kind of thing," Napoleon said. "The motive in 12 other cases was an argument over property, money or drugs.

"Four cases involved drugs, three were unprovoked attacks and the motive is unknown in five other cases."Twenty-one offenders last year were drug users, while two others abused other substances, Napoleon added.

Shootings accounted for 39 percent of the deaths while 26 percent of murder victims were beaten with hands and feet. The report also noted that 19 percent of the victims were killed with a knife or other sharp instrument.

The study found that males were more likely to be shot to death while females most often were killed by strong-arm tactics.

"Among victims, murder by firearm use was especially prevalent among 18- to 39-year-olds, with strong-arm methods claiming the lives of the majority of child victims," the report said.

"Juvenile offenders relied heavily on bare hands and feet, knives and other hand-held objects. The use of cutting instruments and firearms appears a bit more common as offender age increases."

The study also found that 7.3 percent of the offenders suffered from serious psychological problems at the time of the offense and 5.7 percent of offenders attempted or committed suicide at or near the crime scene.

The report is based on information from county police departments to the uniform crime reporting program. Copies can be downloaded from the Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Division's Web site: http://www.cpja.ag.state.hi.us.