Unrequited love behind accusation, defense lawyer says

A woman accusing Wahiawa physician Dennis Ayon of trying to hire her to kill his ex-girlfriend made up the story to get back at him for rejecting her romantic advances, Ayon’s lawyer said in opening statements of Ayon’s trial Wednesday.

The prosecutor said Ayon wanted his ex-girlfriend — the mother of his 5-year-old son — out of the way because she is the source of much of his legal problems.

"It was one thing after the other," said Deputy Prosecutor L. Adrian Dhakhwa. "He paid child support, she had a protective order against him, there were criminal cases pending against him and he lost visitation."

Ayon, 49, is on trial in state court for criminal solicitation to commit murder. He has been in custody since his arrest last November, unable to post $1 million bail.

His lawyer Harrison Kiehm said Ayon’s accuser, Linda Moore, who was his patient at the time, sent Ayon cards and love letters over the five years she was his patient.

"Miss Moore was obsessed with Dr. Ayon. And her obsession with Dr. Ayon was flatly rejected," he said.

Kiehm showed the jury three cards Moore sent to Ayon that contained impressions of Moore’s lipstick-covered lips. One card contained an audio recording of a smooching sound and was signed, "Love you forever, XOXOXO, Linda."

He said police do not have recordings of Ayon trying to solicit Moore to kill his ex-girlfriend, so the case comes down to Ayon’s word against Moore’s.

Moore testified Wednesday that she not only sent cards to Ayon but also to his staff. She said she did not send two pictures of herself at the beach in a bikini, as Kiehm claims, one of which Kiehm showed the jury.

She said Ayon asked her to kill his ex-girlfriend and gave her a Post-It note on which he had written the ex-girlfriend’s address and telephone number.

The ex-girlfriend, Hea Joung Youm, told the jury she recognized the handwriting on the note as Ayon’s.

Moore said she called Youm and told Youm what Ayon asked her to do. The two women met at Aloha Tower, where Youm called police.

Circuit Judge Karen Ahn rejected Kiehm’s request to prohibit the prosecutor from telling the jury about Ayon’s other pending criminal cases involving Youm.

Dhakhwa told the jury that Ayon has one case accusing him of violating a protective order prohibiting him from approaching or contacting Youm and of abusing and threatening her. He also told the jury of two other cases in which Ayon is accused of violating a temporary restraining order to stay away from his son.