Schoolteacher’s killer convicted despite illness

A state judge ruled Thursday that even though Tittleman Fauatea has a long, documented history of mental illness and was probably suffering from mental illness when he fatally stabbed a stranger at Ewa Town Center four years ago, the level of his mental impairment was not substantial enough to qualify him for an insanity acquittal.

Circuit Judge Rom Trader found Fauatea guilty of murder Thursday in the Feb. 27, 2009, stabbing death of Wai­anae High School teacher Asa Yama­shita.

Fauatea, 29, faces a mandatory life prison term with the possibility for release on parole at sentencing in June.

His lawyer, Barry Sooalo, said he doesn’t believe Fauatea understood what happened in court Thursday. He said that after Trader rendered his verdict, Fauatea asked whether he had to return to court.

Following the stabbing, Yama­shita’s husband, Bryan, said he didn’t want to harbor any anger and wanted to forgive his wife’s killer.

After hearing Trader’s verdict Thursday, he said he is relieved the case is over. He said he and the couple’s two daughters had decided they were going to accept whatever the judge ruled.

His only wish is that Fauatea "be in a place where he cannot hurt anyone anymore."

Five mental health experts who examined Fauatea over the four years since the stabbing testified in front of Trader during a nonjury trial. Three of them testified that Fauatea experienced a psychotic episode on the day of the stabbing.

Fauatea was eventually found fit to stand trial. The question that remained was whether he was legally responsible for his actions when he stabbed the 43-year-old Yama­shita.

Trader answered yes to that question Thursday.

"Despite his mental disorder, he was able to engage in a purposeful and organized course of conduct both before, during and after the killing," Trader said.

Witnesses testified that before the stabbing, Fauatea went to the Longs Drugs store in the Ewa Town Center and bought a large kitchen knife. He then left the store and walked past Yama­shita, who was sitting on a bench in front of the Ewa Seed Co. snack store lunching on saimin.

Fauatea unwrapped the knife, threw away the wrapping and then stabbed Yama­shita repeatedly.

He then took off his shirt and calmly walked away toward Ren­ton Road, where he threw the knife in some bushes. When police caught up to him a short distance away, he raised his hands and told one of the officers that he didn’t have anything and that he threw the knife in the bushes.