Man guilty in son's injuries
By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer
A Circuit Court jury convicted a Waikiki man yesterday of attempted murder in an April 2002 incident that left his 6-month-old son nearly dead and permanently brain-damaged.
Advertiser library photo
Anthony Chatman, 33, will face a term of life with the possibility of parole and a 15-year mandatory minimum when he is sentenced by Circuit Judge Karen Ahn on Sept. 15. The 15-year minimum is because of the age of the victim.
Anthony Chatman, 33, said he doubted the boy was his son, but he denied ever hurting him.
The jury also found Chatman guilty of bribery, intimidating a witness and extortion. It deliberated for about a day and a half.
City deputy prosecutor Dan Oyasato maintained during the monthlong trial that Chatman punched son Taison Suzuki, thrust the boy's head back repeatedly and nearly suffocated him by pushing his face into a bed at a Waikiki hotel room where the boy was staying with his mother, Asahi Suzuki.
Oyasato said Suzuki had brought the boy with her from Japan to see if Chatman would commit to marrying her.
But Chatman's lawyer, Chester Kanai, said during the trial that Taison appeared normal when Chatman saw him the night of April 2, 2002, and that Suzuki was the one who likely injured the boy.
Kanai said Suzuki was bitter and frustrated that Chatman would not marry her and that she took her frustration out on the baby.
When he took the stand in his defense, Chatman said he doubted the boy was his son, but he denied ever hurting him.
After the injuries to Taison, Suzuki lived with Chatman at his Waikiki apartment while attending classes required by the state Child Protective Services in order for her to regain custody of the boy.
Suzuki accused Chatman of beating her and forcing her to sign a statement saying Chatman did not cause the boy's injuries.
Taison now lives in Japan with Suzuki's parents and other family members.
The jury was not told during the trial that in 1995, Chatman's 4-month-old daughter by another woman was diagnosed as suffering from shaken baby syndrome, with damage to her brain and central nervous system.
The girl's baby-sitter was charged with first-degree assault. But the charges were dropped at her preliminary hearing after medical evidence indicated she did not commit the crime.
Authorities turned their attention to Chatman and his then-wife but no charges were filed because the statute of limitations had lapsed.
