By William Cole
Advertiser Courts Writer
A hearing opened today in Circuit Court to determine whether Paul Luiz, found not guilty by reason of insanity in the fatal stabbing of Barbara Seibel in 1975, should receive conditional release or off-grounds passes from the Hawai‘i State Hospital.
The man who city deputy prosecutor Jeff Albert had called Hawai‘i’s version of Ted Bundy has been held at the State Hospital for nearly 25 years, after killing the 16-year-old Hawai‘i Kai girl.
Luiz, who changed his name to Abraham Paul Jordan, also was indicted for sexual assaults on three women in 1972 and 1973 and entered guilty pleas to several of the charges, but was acquitted on grounds of mental disease.
His pattern was to drive around looking for girls to pick up, according to court documents. He would then threaten his victim with a knife, take her to a secluded spot and rape her, records show. A psychiatrist said Luiz admitted killing a woman in the Philippines in 1971.
In seeking Luiz’ release, attorney Peter Ross noted Luiz had 25 years of good behavior at the State Hospital and goes off grounds on escorted passes.
“If he wanted to do something, he could have easily done it,” Ross said.
But prosecutors pointed to a diagnosis of sexual sadism on the part of Luiz that they say does not go away. “The guy’s going to rape somebody if gets out,” Albert said previously.
Several hearings are expected before Judge Reynaldo Graulty makes a decision on Luiz’ request.
Luiz was found guilty of murdering 16-year-old Barbara Seibel, but acquitted in the second phase of the trial by reason of insanity.
He has sought release from the State Hospital four times since 1977 but withdrew each of the requests after court-appointed examiners submitted unfavorable reports.
At the time of Seibel’s murder, Luiz was on conditional release from the Stae Hospital and had been ordered to undergo psychiatirc outpatient treatment after he had been aquitted on rape and sodomy charges. He had picked up and attacked at knifepoint five women, ages 16 to 25, over a 10-month period in 1972 and 1973.
But he was released after it was determined that, although he was a danger to himself and others, he could be controlled with proper monitoriing and treatment.
Luiz picked up Seibel, who was hitchhiking on May 28, 1975, stabbed her repeatedly and left her body in a Hawai‘i Kai driveway. She died from wounds to the heart and throat.
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