A little information on the accused killer of Asa Yamashita...

The person that was accused of the stabbing death of Asa Yamashita has a known history of Mental illness there in Hawaii and California.

Article from the Honolulu Star Bulletin:

Teacher's alleged killer has long police record
By Rosemarie Bernardo
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Mar 05, 2009

A 25-year-old man diagnosed with schizophrenia was indicted yesterday in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Waianae High School teacher.

An Oahu grand jury indicted Tittleman Fauatea on charges of second-degree murder in the stabbing Friday of Asa Yamashita at the Ewa Town Center. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Court records show that Fauatea has been hospitalized several times in Hawaii and California for mental illness.

According to records, he told a doctor at the Hawaii State Hospital in August, following his arrest for criminal trespassing at a Kahaluu convenience store, that the television talks to him and that he heard voices.

Within two months of his evaluation, he also was observed having "hypersexual" behavior — flirting inappropriately with most of the female staff and patients in the ward at the state hospital.

Records also stated Fauatea had several instances where "he had lost control and either struck or attempted to strike fellow patients."

While living with his sister in California for a few months in 2003, she initially kicked him out of her home after he threatened to kill her children. He also made multiple 911 calls falsely telling dispatchers that his sister was dead in her bed.

Before he was hospitalized at the state hospital, Fauatea had three psychiatric hospitalizations in California and one at Kahi Mohala Behavioral Healthcare in Ewa Beach. During those times, he displayed "verbally and physically assaultive behavior," according to a doctor's evaluation in court records.

Further psychiatric evaluation reports state, "He had delusional content, paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations, bizarre behaviors, self talk and inappropriate sexual behavior (that is, staring at girls, asking young children at the laundromat for their phone numbers and touching himself in public)."

Court records indicate Fauatea, who was born in Utah and raised in Hawaii, graduated with a certificate from Moanalua High School in 2002.

Last year, he was charged with harassment involving a woman at an Ewa Beach recreation center at 91-1037 Kamailio St.

On June 8, Fauatea allegedly walked up to the woman, who was in the swimming pool area, stood less than two inches in front of her and stared at her chest. The woman turned to ignore him, but he continued to get closer to her. She told Fauatea to leave but he refused. He continued harassing the woman for 10 minutes, scaring her. Fauatea served six days in jail for the offense, considered a misdemeanor.

Two months later, Fauatea was charged for second-degree criminal trespassing after he refused to leave a 7-Eleven store at 47-515 Kamehameha Highway in Kahaluu. Court documents stated Fauatea headed to the store with a suitcase and asked the clerk for food. When the clerk refused, Fauatea placed his suitcase near the doorway and sat down, partially blocking the store's entrance door. The clerk asked him multiple times to leave, but he refused.

Fauatea also has four previous arrests in Las Vegas which include a domestic violence offense.

A 25-year-old man diagnosed with schizophrenia was indicted yesterday in connection with the fatal stabbing of a Waianae High School teacher.

An Oahu grand jury indicted Tittleman Fauatea on charges of second-degree murder in the stabbing Friday of Asa Yamashita at the Ewa Town Center. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Court records show that Fauatea has been hospitalized several times in Hawaii and California for mental illness.

According to records, he told a doctor at the Hawaii State Hospital in August, following his arrest for criminal trespassing at a Kahaluu convenience store, that the television talks to him and that he heard voices.

Within two months of his evaluation, he also was observed having "hypersexual" behavior — flirting inappropriately with most of the female staff and patients in the ward at the state hospital.

Records also stated Fauatea had several instances where "he had lost control and either struck or attempted to strike fellow patients."

While living with his sister in California for a few months in 2003, she initially kicked him out of her home after he threatened to kill her children. He also made multiple 911 calls falsely telling dispatchers that his sister was dead in her bed.

Before he was hospitalized at the state hospital, Fauatea had three psychiatric hospitalizations in California and one at Kahi Mohala Behavioral Healthcare in Ewa Beach. During those times, he displayed "verbally and physically assaultive behavior," according to a doctor's evaluation in court records.

Further psychiatric evaluation reports state, "He had delusional content, paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations, bizarre behaviors, self talk and inappropriate sexual behavior (that is, staring at girls, asking young children at the laundromat for their phone numbers and touching himself in public)."

Court records indicate Fauatea, who was born in Utah and raised in Hawaii, graduated with a certificate from Moanalua High School in 2002.

Last year, he was charged with harassment involving a woman at an Ewa Beach recreation center at 91-1037 Kamailio St.

On June 8, Fauatea allegedly walked up to the woman, who was in the swimming pool area, stood less than two inches in front of her and stared at her chest. The woman turned to ignore him, but he continued to get closer to her. She told Fauatea to leave but he refused. He continued harassing the woman for 10 minutes, scaring her. Fauatea served six days in jail for the offense, considered a misdemeanor.

Two months later, Fauatea was charged for second-degree criminal trespassing after he refused to leave a 7-Eleven store at 47-515 Kamehameha Highway in Kahaluu. Court documents stated Fauatea headed to the store with a suitcase and asked the clerk for food. When the clerk refused, Fauatea placed his suitcase near the doorway and sat down, partially blocking the store's entrance door. The clerk asked him multiple times to leave, but he refused.

Fauatea also has four previous arrests in Las Vegas which include a domestic violence offense.

Now, this person should have been in the care of a Mental Health facility or at least monitored on the regular basis with medication for his mental health being subscribed... I have lived with and worked at a facility that dealt with such people. I do feel for them and that I know they can't help unless helped

The issue is the system failed. Those people who were part of the system didn't treat this individual as that, an individual with unique issues. People cannot be lumped into a group, each person must be treated on a case by case basis.

The other issue is that law enforcement needs additional training in mental health issues, what used to work for training before doesn't work for today's society. In the old days, a police officer just needed to enforce the laws, now they, depending on the department, get training or require knowledge of being a First Responder. They should now need basic training as a counselor and basic Mental Health training so that they can identify and prevent these types of issues.

If this person was recognized as a person with mental health issues in the beginning, this would have never happened as well as other incidents within this past year in Hawaii as well as other states.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Asa Yamashita

Oh where do I begin... I knew her when I attended Intermediate school. We played in band together, she played the Oboe and I played Clarinet and because of my position in the Clarinet section, I sat next to her. At that time, her last name was Shimabukuro.

One of my favorite memories of her was during a concert at the Farrington High School Auditorium, just before and during the performance, I was trying to make her laugh cause she was nervous, I think she had a solo in one of the pieces we performed that night. Apparently it worked cause she wasn't as nervous as she was in the beginning.

At the end of the night, back at the band room, she came up to me and kissed me on the cheek, thanking me for helping her overcome her nervousness.

I can still see her smiling face when we were in that band room, making fun of her and her mock anger at us and Mr. Fukaya whenever we teased her. I was at S.B. Dole for only 2 years, in the 9th grade I had changed schools and went to Aiea. I lost touch with her and other people. After graduating from High School, I've thought of those people from time to time and when I moved from Hawaii to Minnesota, every so often I would think of Asa.

I tried to locate her every so often, hoping she was on either MySpace or Facebook but never could find her on there so that I could get back in touch.

This past Monday, March 2nd when I brought up the Honolulu Star Bulletin's web page and saw the article of a 43 year old woman who was stabbed. As I read the article, I saw the name Asa and that had me wondering if it was the same person. I searched to see if there was a picture of that person. When I did find the picture, I was utterly and completly shocked.

Since finding out it was her, I've been asking myself if she'd still be with us if I've been back in Hawaii, what could've I done, the loss, her family, her husband, her daughters, her smiling happy person that she was.

It'll take me some time to get over this. I'll always remember her and the loss we've all suffered on that day. I know your watching over all of us with your happy smile, always with us in our hearts, spirit and minds.

つづく ( To be continued... )