Man who stabbed 2 hikers is granted conditional release from state hospital

An Oahu Circuit Court judge has granted a conditional state-hospital release of a man who stabbed two men on the Koko Crater Trail nearly seven years ago.

Benjamin Davis, who stood trial in 2010, was found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity. Several mental health experts diagnosed Davis with schizophrenia.

On Thursday, Judge Richard Perkins heard from a panel of three doctors. “All three said he should qualify for conditional release,” said Dave Koga, spokesman for the Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney. The department objected because of the nature of the crimes.

Koga said that Davis will remain at the Hawaii State Hospital in Kaneohe until he can be placed in transitional housing.

One of the two victims, Nicholas Iwamoto, 29, was stabbed numerous time Feb. 1, 2009. Davis also shoved Iwamoto from the crater rim, breaking his neck. Still suffering from chronic pain and headaches, Iwamoto said he is also still recovering from emotional scars.

“I think he should be in a cage for the rest of his life,” Iwamoto said. “The danger to the public is too great, and he doesn’t have a good track record.”

The other victim, California resident Guy Tanaka, stood up at the end of the trial and shook Davis’ hand and forgave him.

Davis told court-appointed experts he stabbed the hikers because he believed they were working for the government to kill him, according to court reports. He also said he thought Iwamoto was relaying his position to government sharpshooters on his cellphone.

Commenting on any treatment or medication Davis has been receiving, Iwamoto said, “I hope it works, but I wouldn’t place a bet on it.”

In 2012, Iwamoto publicly opposed a court decision that allowed Davis to leave the state hospital to attend nearby Windward Community College.

At the time, Iwamoto said he could not afford to go to school and resented the move allowing his attacker to go to school. Iwamoto credits a lengthy Star-Advertiser feature article about what he was going through and his recovery for helping him secure a scholarship from the University of Hawaii.

Iwamoto said he has suspended his studies as a history major to take care of family matters, namely baby-sitting his niece.

Among the activities he finds therapeutic are watching old war movies, knitting beanies and scarves, and taking care of his beagle, Rapunzel.

Iwamoto said his dreams of joining the Army National Guard were dashed the day he was attacked.

“I struggle with anxiety issues,” he said. “This is what prompted the hike, to see if my heart was OK. I wanted to push my body to the limit. What I said to myself was if I don’t die, I was going to finish the enlistment process.”

The court has scheduled a March 8 review hearing for Davis that will include his probation officer and treatment team to review his case.

Davis’ public defender and family could not be reached.

The day after his arrest, his family and friends told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin the 19-year-old was a humble teen who worked two jobs to help his mother, wrote music and helped mentor neighborhood kids.

Davis played varsity football for McKinley High School where he was a wide receiver, graduated in 2007 and attended Long Beach Community College for a year before returning home.

About a year before the attacks, he began hearing voices, he told mental health experts.

His family saw a change in his behavior, and a cousin said he had begun “talking schizophrenic,” about how the government was out to get him and he threw his phone away because he feared the government was listening.

Four days before the attacks, he abruptly broke up with his girlfriend of a year and a half to protect her, according to court documents. The night before the attacks, he also packed his laptop computer, important papers and other items because he did not think they would be safe at home. He packed a knife for protection and headed for Waikiki to get away.

He said he took off his shorts at the scene of the attack because he thought they would give away his position. Police found him up a tree naked except for a sneaker on his left foot and a sock on his right.