The 41-year-old Hawaii Kai man who allegedly stabbed two roommates and his landlord Oct. 1 in their Kalama Valley house pleaded not guilty in Circuit Court on Thursday morning.
Matthew Smith, wearing a white jumpsuit and with his legs shackled, was arraigned before Judge Ronald Johnson on charges of first-degree attempted murder and three counts of second-degree attempted murder.
Smith will continue to be held without bail at the Oahu Community Correctional Center. He declined to ask the judge to set bail and instead said through a deputy public defender that he would take the matter up later.
Smith’s trial was set for Dec. 11 before Judge Kevin Souza.
Smith’s landlord, Benjamin Maes, who is in his 70s, filed a complaint Tuesday to have Smith evicted due to “illegal acts,” referring to the attack on his fellow tenants and Maes.
According to court documents, Smith allegedly stabbed with a steak knife roommate William Welch in the jaw during a fight over food, causing a deep wound.
Roommate Carlos Huerta and Maes tried to intervene, but Smith allegedly stabbed Huerta in the head, cutting his scalp and a finger, and stabbing Maes in the head, stomach and arm. The three men were in serious condition.
Smith allegedly fled to Sandy Beach and approached a patrol officer, who noticed blood spatter on his white T-shirt. Smith identified himself and police arrested him.
The eviction complaint includes a copy of Smith’s two-year rental agreement he entered into Aug. 1 with two roommates, Welch and Huerta, each assigned a bedroom, and each charged $500 a month rent.
The rental agreement says renters are to “designate areas in the refrigerator for your own food. Share if you like but please don’t eat someone else’s food without asking first.”
Smith is under a no-contact order to stay away from the roommates and Maes, and to stay 500 feet away from the 790 Ipuai St. home, and the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on Campbell Avenue in Kapahulu.
The rental agreement indicates Smith, the roommates and Maes are members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
In it, Maes advises: “The three of you are baptized brothers and as such should show consideration and Agape love between each other.
“Having only one bathroom will require coordination. This is also true for doing your wash, cooking, and cleaning.
“Living together will require compromise. No one will get their way all the time but recognizing that Jehovah loves each of you should compel you to show love for each other.”
