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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 4:47 p.m., Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Man indicted in teacher's murder was diagnosed as schizophrenic

By David Waite and Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writers

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Tittleman Fauatea

HPD Photo

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Tittleman Fauatea, who was indicted today in the stabbing death of a Waianae High School educator, underwent three court-ordered mental examinations last year that concluded he posed a mild or moderate risk to others, court records show.

However, the "probability of dangerous behaviors increases to moderate or high if he is not under the current level of supervision," states an Oct. 15 evaluation written when Fauatea was a patient at the Hawaii State Hospital in Kaneohe.

The examinations were ordered in September after Fauatea was accused of harassment, criminal trespass and criminal contempt of court. The court also ordered Fauatea to the state hospital at the time.

During his time there, Fauatea assaulted three other patients in separate attacks, all on the same day in October, records show.

Fauatea also underwent three psychiatric hospitalizations in California and one at Kahi Mohala, the court records show.

He was arrested in Las Vegas in 2008 for burglary, petty larceny and trespass and in 2005 for domestic violence.

His sister reported that she kicked him out of her home after he threatened to kill her children, the report said.

He was diagnosed with schizophrenia disorder in the three Hawaii evaluations, which took place from September to November.

Fauatea, 25, was indicted this morning by an Oahu grand jury on one count of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Asa Yamashita.

Yamashita, 43, was fatally stabbed on Friday as she sat eating noodles outside a store at the Ewa Town Center.

Police believe that Fauatea bought a large kitchen knife at a Longs Drugs, walked out of the store and stabbed Yamashita repeatedly.

City Deputy Prosecutor Daniel Shimizu recited the sequence of events while presenting the grand jury indictment to Circuit Judge Derrick Chan, who confirmed bail in the case at $500,000.

Chan ordered a bench warrant to be served on Fauatea, who remains in custody in lieu of bail.

Once Fauatea is served with the warrant, a date for his arraignment in Circuit Court will be scheduled.

Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com and Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.