Janto admitted
using drugs
prior to attack

The accused killer shows little
emotion in a court appearance

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

Frank Charles Janto showed little emotion in court until prosecuting attorney Peter Carlisle requested that the accused murderer's girlfriend be included with witnesses who can't be contacted by Janto.

After checking with the woman, however, Carlisle withdrew her name from the list as Janto wiped tears off his face.

Janto, otherwise, was unemotional even when James Koja, the husband of the woman he is accused of killing on June 9, testified at yesterday's preliminary hearing.

The two men avoided eye contact.

"I didn't notice him until his lawyer started talking to me," Koja said. "I was concentrating too much on answering the questions to have any emotion."

Asked how he felt about Janto, Koja said, "I don't wish him well."

District Judge Karen Ahn sent Janto's case to Circuit Court for trial. Janto will be arraigned July 3.

Janto has admitted to police that he attacked 59-year-old Bongak "Jackie" Koja on California Avenue and dumped her body in a trash bin at Leilehua High School.

Homicide Detective Allan Castro testified that Janto was brought in for questioning June 12 after police received a tip from a woman who said Janto was exhibiting "unusual behavior not consistent with his normal habits" on the day Koja was killed.

Janto, however, denied being in the area of Leilehua High School that morning.

After police recovered palm prints at the scene, Janto was brought in for questioning again and admitted to Castro that he attacked Koja while high after three days of using crystal methamphetamine and cocaine.

On June 16, police accompanied Janto to Leilehua High School, where he re-enacted what took place.

According to Castro, Janto said he confronted Koja at a bus stop on California Avenue fronting Leilehua High. He became angry after being sprayed with pepper spray and punched Koja, Janto told police.

Koja then ran toward the high school. Janto told police he tried to choke her but she continued fighting, so he hit her again, Castro said.

He carried Koja to one of the school buildings where she apparently regained consciousness. Janto then pounded her head onto the pavement several times before carrying her body to the back of the school, where he threw Koja into a trash bin, Castro said.

School custodian Carol Ichimura testified that she was instructed to clean up blood on the lanai of Building Q on June 9 about 8:12 a.m. A teacher had reported seeing drops of blood to the principal that morning.

Ichimura, however, found a large pool of blood near the area. "It looked like somebody got murdered here," she said of her reaction to seeing the blood.

Ichimura cleaned up the blood.

"It never dawned on me at the time that there was something wrong because my supervisor just told me to clean it up," she said outside the courtroom.

Dr. Harold Matsunaga, Koja's dentist, identified the permanent bridge found on campus as belonging to his patient.

"It would take quite a bit of force to get it out," Matsunaga said.

Officer Joe Self of the Missing Persons Detail said police monitored trash at HPOWER from 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. two days after Koja was reported missing in hopes of finding her body.

"Between Monday and Wednesday, 8,204 tons of rubbish was brought to HPOWER and by the time we got there, the balance was 800 tons," Self said.