Posted on: Thursday, February 13, 2003

Wife acquitted of murder after judge rules insanity

By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer

In a jury-waived murder trial that lasted less than 10 minutes, a state judge yesterday found that the prosecution had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that a 70-year-old Wai'anae woman stabbed her husband to death in February 2001. He then immediately acquitted the woman on the basis of insanity.

Although Circuit Judge Reynaldo Graulty had ruled minutes earlier that Catherine Nakamura was fit to stand trial, Graulty said she could not understand that her actions were wrong or conform her behavior to the law when she stabbed her husband George M. Nakamura, 68, to death on Feb. 7, 2001.

Graulty ruled that she was a danger, and committed her to the Department of Health.

City Deputy Prosecutor Glenn Kim and Deputy Public Defender Todd Eddins had agreed to a list of facts in the case that they had submitted previously to Graulty. Neither presented any additional evidence or called any witnesses yesterday.

While the trial lasted only a few minutes, Graulty was very familiar with the case, having heard the issue of Nakamura's mental fitness on several occasions.

Kim said Nakamura would be returned to the state hospital in Kane'ohe, where she has been held most of the time since the stabbing.

After the trial, Kim and Eddins said two of three mental health experts who examined Nakamura concluded she had a serious mental disorder. "Unfortunately, it was a problem that spanned decades, and which first became obvious when Mrs. Nakamura was in her 20s," Kim said.

Eddins said that when Nakamura takes her medication, prescribed to treat schizophrenia and other problems, the disorders were held in check. Under medication, he said, she was able to understand what was going on and assist in her own defense.

"She told the doctors that she was overcome by a sudden hatred for her husband and that she was hearing voices," Eddins said. "She was convinced that poor Mr. Nakamura was monitoring her activities through an electrical device in her closet."