Hawaii Man Charged in Wife's Murder
Georgina
By VALERIE MONSON Staff Writer
The Maui Bulletin 9/27/99
http://www.maui.net/~mauinews/
WAIEHU -- A Waiehu Terrace man who spent Thursday in jail for
terroristic threatening, has been charged with second degree murder for
stabbing his wife to death in the shower Friday evening. After leaving
the scene, Brian Kawamoto, 42, drove off a cliff at Kahakuloa, where he
was found trapped inside a truck in heavy brush Saturday morning.
Bridget Kawamoto, 37, was dead from multiple stab wounds when a neighbor
found her in the bathroom with the water still running after her three
teen-aged children fled screaming from the house at about 6:30 p.m. She
was a long-term substitute teacher at Baldwin High School, where she was
leading special-education classes this semester.
Brian Kawamoto was rescued by firefighters and police Saturday morning
after the pickup he was driving went off a cliff at Mendes Ranch and
landed more than 100 feet below the roadway in a thick stand of trees on
a steep slope. He was treated at Maui Memorial Medical Center for minor
injuries and released to police, who charged him at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Police said the suspect, earlier held in lieu of $100,000 bail, was
placed on no-bail status.
A neighbor on Nakuluai Street, where the Kawamotos have lived for six
years, said she wasn't surprised about the tragedy.
``She had restraining orders against him. I don't know how many -- quite
a bit,'' said Kathy Matsuoka, who graduated from Baldwin High School in
1980 with the victim and lives across the street. ``It's been going on
for years, but this year it got really, really bad, and this week it was
too much. There were incidents leading up to this disaster.'' Police
could not confirm the existence of any restraining orders. When
contacted, Baldwin High Principal Wally Fujii described the victim as
even-tempered and good with the kids.
According to Matsuoka's account, Brian Kawamoto was still in the house
Friday night when neighbors responded to shrieks from the children to
``help mom.'' Matsuoka's husband, Milton, was the first inside. ``As my
husband entered the home, he saw Brian, who had this glazed look on his
face,'' said Kathy Matsuoka. ``My husband said, `What's up, Brian?'
Brian's response was, `Call the cops. Call the ambulance. She's dead.'''
Kawamoto left the house and encountered Kathy Matsuoka outside. He
had on shorts but no shirt, and blood was splattered on him, she said.
``He told me, `Sorry, man,' and just walked past me,'' she said.
According to police records, Kawamoto was arrested for terroristic
threatening at his home shortly after midnight Thursday and jailed
overnight on $5,000 bail, but was released later that day. Matsuoka said
after he was freed, he returned to Nakuluai Street Thursday night and
threatened the children again after they had dropped their mother off at
work. ``They (the kids) came screaming out of the house and came running
to our house,'' said Kathy Matsuoka. ``They said he was threatening
them.''
The next day, Bridget Kawamoto shared her increasing fears of her
husband with Kathy Matsuoka before heading off for work at Baldwin High
School. She also drove a shuttle for Budget Car & Truck Rental. Brian
Kawamoto was a mason who had been out of work for some time. ``She asked
me if I could keep an eye on the house and, if I saw him, to call the
cops,'' said Kathy Matsuoka.
The Kawamotos had been married for 16 years, she said. No one saw Brian
Kawamoto come home, but when Bridget and the children returned at about
5 p.m., they spotted his slippers, which hadn't been there when they
left, said Kathy Matsuoka.
``She checked the house but didn't find (him),'' said Kathy Matsuoka.
``She said . . . she didn't feel safe at home. She said she was going to
take a bath (and leave).''
Bridget was in the shower when, according to Matsuoka, the Kawamotos'
son ``caught a glimpse'' of someone running past his room. An instant
later, his mother began screaming. The screams of the children followed.
``All the neighbors came flying out of their homes,'' said Matsuoka.
``The kids were crying, `He's in the house! He's in the house! Help
mom!'''
Police arrived almost immediately, but Brian Kawamoto was gone and an
all-points bulletin was issued. The search was still on when authorities
were summoned to Mendes Ranch at about 8:30 a.m. Saturday to investigate
a truck that had gone over the cliff. Alan Mendes Sr. and his son, Alan
Jr., saw a man parked across from the ranch on Kahekili Highway at about
9 p.m. Friday. ``It's rare for someone to be parked at that location,''
said the elder Mendes. ``The windows were rolled up and it was dark, so
you figured something was wrong.'' His son went over and knocked on the
window. ``He woke up. He was real dazed . . . and said, `I've got to
sleep.' And I said, `Well, you can't do that here. You've got to get out
of here,''' said Allan Mendes Jr., who was leaving for the night.
Less than 30 minutes later, employee Craig Hill returned to the ranch,
but said there was no truck parked in that area. He said everyone else
at the ranch was down at the barn, away from the parking lot. The wind
also was blowing, which would have made it difficult to hear if a truck
had gone off the cliff. No one suspected anything had happened until
early Saturday, when
cries were heard coming from a knot of trees that was so thick nothing
was visible. Alan Mendes Sr. thought it was a goat, but when workers
climbed down the steep slope, they saw the pickup with Kawamoto inside.
The victim was conscious and not seriously injured, according to
onlookers.
Firefighters and rescue workers responded along with police. Rescuers
placed Kawamoto in a basket on a back board and
pulled him up the cliff, which plunges 500 feet or more to a gully
leading to the ocean. ``It's the kind of place where, if you slip,
you're going to go a long way,'' said Capt. Joe Blackburn with the Maui
Department of Fire Control. Ranch workers said if they hadn't heard
Kawamoto, it might have been a long time before the truck was found. The
small berm at the cliff's edge that the pickup knocked down before
flying through the air could have been disturbed by a car parked there.
The pickup itself was so buried in the trees that it couldn't be seen
unless someone climbed down and searched for it.
Back on Nakuluai Street, Kathy Matsuoka mourned for her friend, the
children and her neighborhood. ``We were just discussing it the other
day, how cool this street is, how it's the best street in the
neighborhood,'' said Kathy Matsuoka, president of the Waiehu Terrace
Community Association. She was especially upset because the tragedy
didn't need to happen. ``We don't understand it,'' she said. ``The signs
were there. You knew it was coming. ``How well-protected is the victim?
Not very, not when they end up like that. You wonder where the justice
is.''
kkramer
58 tourists yesterday. The pilot was experienced.
Kramer
Georgina wrote in message <37F02D62...@gte.net>...
kkramer
HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii (AP) - Bobbie Bailey told her
husband, son and daughter-in-law she wouldn't be joining them on a
sightseeing plane trip around the Big Island.
Fearful of flying, Mrs. Bailey told the group to go on without her.
They never returned: Her loved ones were among 10 people killed in a fiery
weekend crash high on Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano.
``I waved and told them `Bye,' and told them, `Now you guys be careful and
have fun.''' Mrs. Bailey said Monday . ``They all had smiles on their faces,
said `We will.'''
``So they left without me. And... they still left without me,'' she said.
The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating what caused the
Big Island Air twin-engine plane to smash nearly 2 miles up on the active
volcano during Saturday's around-the-island tour.
Rangers from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park sifted through the wreckage of
the Piper Navajo Chieftain plane early Monday, finding the 10th body amid
the charred ruins of Hawaii's worst air tour disaster in a quarter century.
A team of seven NTSB specialists, covering every area from engineering to
counseling, were involved in the investigation, said John Hammerschmidt of
the NTSB.
The agency hoped to get two of investigators to the crash site Monday
afternoon, but were stopped by poor weather conditions 9,800 feet up the
volcano. They were to try again today.
Also involved in the probe are representatives of Piper Aircraft Co., which
manufactures the plane, and Lycoming Corp., which makes the plane's engine.
The plane was not carrying a flight data recorder since federal law does not
require one for sightseeing planes, Hammerschmidt said. A global positioning
system onboard might contain some useful data.
Those killed included David Bailey Sr., 55; David Bailey Jr., 27; and his
wife, Dana, 26. All three were from San Jose, Calif.
Other victims identified so far include pilot Dennis O'Leary, of Kentucky;
Wade Abac of Hawaii; Hank Risley, 53, who ran New Hampshire's prison system;
and Risley's stepmother, Norah Risley, 71.
Touring the islands by air is a popular way to see breathtaking waterfalls,
lava-spewing volcanoes and other spectacular sites too remote or dangerous
to be seen by the car or on foot.
The crash seemed to have little effect Monday on the air tour industry,
which provides rides to 400,000 people a year in Hawaii.
``I haven't had one cancellation due to that,'' said Wendy Hart of Island
Hoppers, which offers nine daily plane tours. ``We've had questions, but no
cancellations.''
Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
kkramer wrote in message ...
Georgina
> This is terrible. I also heard about the air vehicle that went down killing
> 58 tourists yesterday. The pilot was experienced.
>
> Kramer
Hello,
Yes, it is. We heard the sirens on Friday but never imagined it was police
response to a homicide. I know people who went to school with the woman. They're
still finding it hard to believe this happened. There were some warning signs,
though. If I had noticed his slippers were there, outside the door, I wouldn't
have entered the home. Here's an update from the Bulletin, that gives a few more
details.
~Georgina
Tuesday, September 28, 1999
Maui slaying suspect has violent past
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
WAILUKU -- Leona DeCambra once described her stepfather, Brian Kawamoto, as a
"good guy" who just needed some counseling to come to his senses. But DeCambra,
18, also described in court documents a violent side of Kawamoto: He recently
threatened bodily harm to her and her brother and sister if they supported their
mother, Bridget, who had obtained a court order preventing him from staying at
their Waiehu Terrace residence. "He ... said if we didn't back him by saying my
mom is the bad person, he was going to come back and kill us," she said.
Maui police say Kawamoto returned Friday evening to the Waiehu house and fatally
stabbed his wife in the bathroom of her bedroom. Kawamoto, 42, charged with
second-degree murder and terroristic threatening, was being held without bail in
the
Maui jail. His preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 1 p.m. tomorrow in
Maui District Court. Kawamoto was able to stand in Maui District Court yesterday
to hear the charges against him, despite receiving some injuries from his
vehicle plunging down a cliff at Kahakuloa after he allegedly left the murder
scene.
Family Court records show Kawamoto has a history of domestic abuse dating to
Dec. 26, 1993. He was placed on probation for a year and ordered to serve two
days in jail. He also completed a program intended to reform those found guilty
of domestic violence. Kawamoto and his wife sought temporary restraining orders
against each other in 1996 -- complaints dismissed by a judge for lack of
evidence. Bridget Kawamoto obtained a temporary restraining order this year,
forbidding her husband from staying at the residence or coming into contact with
her.
Police were looking for Brian Kawamoto after he allegedly threatened his wife
and violated the restraining order, police Lt. Glenn Cuomo said. According to a
court affidavit filed by police, Bridget Kawamoto noticed slippers outside the
home on Friday evening. Kawamoto asked her 12-year-old son to see if his father
was in the house. He checked the house and told her he didn't see his father.
After his mother entered the home, the son saw what he believed to be his
father's hand closing the door to the bedroom that his mother had entered. The
son said he heard his mother scream and he and his 16-year-old sister fled the
residence. Leona, who was at a neighbor's home, called police.
Several people said they saw Brian Kawamoto, wearing light-colored shorts and
covered with blood on his chest and hands, walk away from the home. Neighbor
Deborah Seitz recalled asking Kawamoto what happened and Kawamoto saying, "Call
the cops. I'm sick of this."
The son returned to the house with a neighbor who broke down the bedroom door.
The body of Bridget Kawamoto was sitting in the bathtub with a stab wound near
the heart.
> Georgina wrote in message <37F02D62...@gte.net>...
>
Georgina
>
> > This is terrible. I also heard about the air vehicle that went down killing
> > 58 tourists yesterday. The pilot was experienced.
> >
> > Kramer
Hi Kramer,
The plane that crashed into the volcano on the Big Island had only 10 passengers.
They're sending the remaining wreckage to Washington D.C., hoping to find out the
cause.
~Georgina
kkramer
should have had extremely high bail Thursday so that he wouldn't be out
Friday to kill her. He's already facing ONLY second degree murder. The
islands need to be tougher!!
Kramer
Georgina wrote in message <37F28615...@gte.net>...
>kkramer wrote:
>
>> This is terrible. I also heard about the air vehicle that went down
killing
>> 58 tourists yesterday. The pilot was experienced.
>>
>> Kramer
>
>> Georgina wrote in message <37F02D62...@gte.net>...
>>
kkramer
Kramer
Georgina wrote in message <37F2877C...@gte.net>...
>> kkramer wrote:
>>
>> > This is terrible. I also heard about the air vehicle that went down
killing
>> > 58 tourists yesterday. The pilot was experienced.
>> >
>> > Kramer
>