Shooting suspect pleads not guilty
A screen shows simultaneous views of the Circuit Court arraignment of Toby Stangel Monday. Stangel, bottom right, stood with public defender Lee Hayakawa on the video-conference feed while Judge Richard Perkins, bottom left, read Stangel's arraignment and Deputy Prosecutor Wayne Tashima, top right, looked on. Stangel's bail remains at $5 million.
The 28-year-old Wahiawa man accused of killing a mother of 10 and injuring two others during a 17-minute freeway shooting spree in Honolulu is scheduled to go on trial in Circuit Court during the week of Aug. 15.
Toby Stangel did not speak during his arraignment Monday morning before Circuit Judge Richard Perkins. Stangel’s attorney, deputy public defender Lee Hayakawa, entered a plea of not guilty for his client.
Stangel’s arraignment was conducted by video conference from Oahu Community Correctional Center, where he is being held unable to post $5 million bail. His case will be heard by Circuit Judge Glenn Kim.
A grand jury indicted Stangel last week on 20 counts including murder, attempted murder, firearms violations and drug possession for the freeway shooting that occurred from Kaimuki to Aiea early in the morning of June 3.
The shootings began at an intersection in Kaimuki where Tammy Nguyen, 54, was fatally shot in the head while her 16-year-old daughter sat beside her in their van. The shootings continued 10 minutes later on the H-1 freeway, where Stangel allegedly wounded two other people.
Kalihi resident Amie Lou Asuncion, 24, and 38-year-old Samson Naupoto of Salt Lake are recovering from gunshot wounds sustained during Stangel’s alleged spree.
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STANGEL also is charged with shooting at two police officers who were conducting a traffic stop.
None of the victims knew the suspect, and police have said the shootings appeared to be random.
The charges include three counts of first-degree attempted murder of trying to kill more than one person and firing shots at two police officers. If convicted of a first-degree attempted murder charge, Stangel would be sentenced to a mandatory life term without parole, the state’s harshest sentence.
The city prosecutor’s office said Stangel shot at multiple victims at three locations with a 9 mm silver semiautomatic firearm that had a magazine with an "illegal capacity." One of the counts involves a "prohibited detachable magazine" with a 15-round clip.
Recovered from Stangel’s gray BMW following his arrest were a knife and brass knuckles, drug pipe and Alprazolam, a prescription drug for anxiety and panic disorders.
