A man accused of stabbing his mother to death while she was working at a bank on Kauai has been declared fit for trial.
Louis Landsman, 49, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Charlene Landsman, 69, in May, The Garden Island reported.
Defense Attorney Melinda Mendes had requested in June that her client undergo an examination to determine his capacity and fitness for legal proceedings.
The court granted the request, consulting three experts.
Judge Randall Valenciano ordered the trial for Landsman on Tuesday after the court received the expert opinions.
“All agree Mr. Landsman is fit to proceed,” Valenciano said. “The disagreement on impairment is the issue.”
Landsman attacked his mother with a large hunting-style knife while she was working at the First Hawaiian Bank in Lihue, police have said. He had visited the bank three times on May 17, according to prior witness testimony.
After the first visit, Charlene Landsman told co-workers to call police if her son came back, a witness told the court previously. Charlene Landsman had canceled the call request when he returned. The stabbing happened on the third visit.
A trial has been scheduled for early February. He’s being held on a $1 million bond.
MOLOKAI
Girl transferred to Oahu after she is hit by vehicle
A 13-year-old girl was medevaced with life-threatening injuries to a hospital on Oahu from Molokai on Tuesday night after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing the roadway in Kualapuu.
The Maui Police Department said a white 1996 Jeep Cherokee operated by a 27-year-old Hoolehua man was traveling westbound on Farrington Avenue with a 27-year-old woman, also from Hoolehua, when the vehicle struck the girl who was walking in the same direction along the roadway at about 9:25 p.m. Tuesday.
