Stangel pleads not guilty to shooting; trial set for August
Toby Stangel, bottom right, stands with public defender Lee Hayakawa as he appears in court via video-conference at Circuit Court on Monday, June 13, 2011 in downtown Honolulu. Judge Richard Perkins, bottom left, read Stangel's arraignment, and DA Wayne Tashima, top right, is also seen. Stangel's bail remains at $5 million and is charged with the shooting death of Tammy Nguyen as well as injuring three others in a shooting spree in May.
The 28-year-old Wahiawa man accused of killing a mother of 10 and injuring two others during a 17-minute freeway shooting spree on Oahu will go on trial in Circuit Court during the week of Aug. 15.
Toby Stangel, who was represented by deputy public defender Lee Hayakawa, did not speak during his arraignment this morning before Circuit Judge Richard Perkins. Hayakawa entered a plea of not guilty for Stangel.
Stangel’s arraignment was done by a video conference hook up from Oahu Community Correctional Center where he is being held, unable to post $5 million bail. His case will be heard by Circuit Judge Glenn Kim.
A grand jury last week indicted Stangel on 20 counts including murder, attempted murder, firearms violations and drug possession for the freeway shooting that occurred from Kapahulu to Aiea early in the morning on June 3.
The shootings started at an intersection in Kapahulu where Tammy Nguyen, 54, was fatally shot in the head while her 16-year-old daughter sat beside her in their van. The shootings continued 10 minutes later on the H-1 freeway where Stangel allegedly wounded two other people.
Kalihi resident Amie Lou Asuncion, 24, and 38-year-old Samson Naupoto of Salt Lake are recovering from gunshot wounds sustained during Stangel’s alleged spree.
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Stangel also is charged with firing at two police officers who were conducting a traffic stop.
None of the victims knew the suspect, and police have said the shootings appeared to be random.
The charges include three counts of first-degree attempted murder of trying to kill more than one person and firing shots at two police officers. If convicted of a first-degree attempted murder charge, Stangel would be sentenced to a mandatory life term without parole, the state’s harshest sentence.
The city prosecutors office said Stangel shot at multiple victims at three locations with a 9 mm silver semiautomatic firearm that had a magazine with an “illegal capacity.” One of the counts involves a “prohibited detachable magazine” with a 15-round clip.
Recovered from Stangel’s gray BMW when he was arrested was a knife and brass knuckles, drug pipe and promotion of a harmful drug, Alprazolam, a prescription drug for anxiety and panic disorders.
