Mother slain near sleeping boy

By Ken Kobayashi
Advertiser Courts Writer

A 6-year-old boy apparently was asleep in the room when his father, Tan Lam, repeatedly struck the boy's mother early Saturday with a hammer and killed her, a deputy prosecutor told a state judge yesterday.

City Deputy Prosecutor Rom Trader called the slaying a "particularly brutal homicide" and said Lam's blows caused "devastating injuries" to his wife Melody.

He said as Lam struck his wife a number of times with a framing hammer, it appears that the boy was asleep in the bedroom.

Trader also said while Lam, also known as Danny Lam, does not appear to have a criminal record or a documented history of abuse against his wife, the investigation suggests there was "unreported domestic violence" against her.

Based on Trader's remarks, Circuit Judge Derrick Chan confirmed Lam's bail of $500,000 following an O'ahu grand jury indictment yesterday morning charging Lam with second-degree murder. The indictment sends the case to trial.

Trader later declined to say how many times Melody Lam was struck.

Lam's attorney, Howard Luke, said he does not know what Trader meant about unreported domestic violence allegations. "I know of no prior incident that even remotely approaches what is characterized as domestic violence," Luke said.

He said his office has received information to the contrary, that "it appeared everything was fine" and that his client was "a good person."

Lam, who collapsed at his initial court appearance Monday, is being held at the O'ahu Community Correctional Center's medical unit. Luke said Lam lost about 30 pounds in recent weeks and is "very weak."

Lam, 50, is accused of slaying his 41-year-old wife, whose body was found on the bed in the bedroom after police received a call from a man saying he had killed his wife.

Police have said when an officer got to the home, Lam waved him down and told him he was sorry and that he had killed his wife.

Lam also told the officer that his wife was in the bedroom and he did not want his children to wake up and see her, according to a police affidavit.

Lam later was quoted as saying voices told him to use a hammer and kill his wife, the affidavit said.

The Lams were agents for Dower Realty. Since the death, the couple's two children, ages 6 and 8, have been with relatives.

Luke said the children are being "taken care of as well as possible under the circumstances."

Lam is scheduled to be arraigned next week. Luke said he is exploring whether to raise the insanity defense, but that it is too early to make a determination on that issue.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8030.