The man accused of fatally stabbing a Wai'anae schoolteacher in an apparently unprovoked attack earlier this year may have been trying to kill another woman who physically resembled the victim, according to court records.

Tittleman Fauatea, 25, has been charged with murdering Asa Yamashita, 43, as she sat on a bench eating a snack near the Supercuts barbershop at Ewa Town Center on Feb. 27.

Fauatea, who has a history of mental problems, had on at least two earlier occasions bothered a female barber at the Supercuts salon who was similar in appearance to Yamashita, a psychologist who examined Fauatea reported to the court.

Fauatea "appeared to have developed a preoccupation with the female barber, was rejected by her on several occasions and developed a plan of revenge," reported Dr. Stephen E. Gainsley.

Yamashita's "size and appearance may have caused him to assume that she was the barber, his intended victim," Gainsley wrote.

The barber came forward to authorities "several days or weeks" later, after she saw a newspaper photograph of Yamashita and realized her physical similarities to the victim, Gainsley said.

The barber said she had cut Fauatea's hair in December and that he had "acted strange and told her that he liked her," according to Gainsley.

When Fauatea returned a month later for another haircut, he appeared to be "either intoxicated or on drugs, as he was sweaty, wide-eyed and fidgety," the barber said.

He returned again a few days later near closing time and was told to leave, Gainsley reported.

Fauatea left but returned after a few minutes and asked to use the telephone book to call a taxi, the report said.

Instead of looking at the taxi listings, however, Fauatea turned to "the escorts pages of the Yellow Pages, laughing to himself," Gainsley's report said.

After being told to leave again, Fauatea "went outside and sat on the same bench where the victim was later attacked, and waited until the last customer left the barbershop," the report said.

As the manager was locking the door, Fauatea "tried to force his way inside" but was told to leave by "a large prison guard" who had been in the shop and was still in the vicinity, according to Gainsley.

On the day of the murder, Gainsley said, Fauatea's "behavior appears to have been planned."

He bought a knife at the nearby Longs, "cooperating with the salesclerk, even though he initially attempted to rush out of the store without receiving his change," the report said.

"He then went to the area near the barbershop, unwrapped the new knife, discarded the wrapper in a nearby trash can, and waited," Gainsley wrote.

When Yamashita was "seated at the bench right in front of the barbershop, the defendant went up to her, knocked the food out of her hands and began stabbing her repeatedly," Gainsley reported.

MENTAL FITNESS

A hearing on Fauatea's mental fitness to stand trial is scheduled for Dec. 28. A judge will decided if he is fit.

Gainsley said in his report that although Fauatea suffers from an unspecified "psychotic disorder" as well as alcohol and amphetamine abuse, he is fit to proceed to trial.

"It is the opinion of this examiner that the defendant was not substantially impaired as to either cognitive or volitional capacity as a result of mental disease or disorder at the time of the alleged offense," he wrote.

Another expert who examined Fauatea, Dr. Richard Kappenberg, also said he believes the defendant is fit for trial.

But a third, Dr. Martin Blinder, said in his report that Fauatea is a paranoid schizophrenic who is not mentally fit for trial.

"Mr. Fauatea was psychotic at the time of his offense, his arrest and at the present time," Blinder wrote.

He has been taking anti-psychotic medications while imprisoned pending trial, Blinder said.

Despite that, "he is quite psychiatrically disabled and certainly unable to participate in a meaningful way in any court proceedings or cooperate with counsel," Blinder said.

Fauatea has a minor criminal history and has been hospitalized on multiple occasions for mental problems, court records show.

After he was charged with misdemeanor offenses of harassment and trespassing last year, he was admitted to the Hawai'i State Hospital in Käne'ohe on Aug. 13, 2008, for mental assessment.

"Upon admission he was overtly psychotic," according to Gainsley's report.

While in the hospital, Fauatea "had several displays of violence and aggression, including punching three other patients without provocation," the report said.

"He also demonstrated sexually inappropriate behavior, in which he would make inappropriate gestures, stare at female staff and touch himself inappropriately," the Gainsley report said.

In September 2008, Fauatea was deemed unfit to proceed on the misdemeanor criminal charges, but on Nov. 26, he was found fit "and pled guilty to the harassment charge, received a sentence of six days in jail, which he served in Oahu Community Correctional Center, and then was released," the report said.