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Five months after he shot them in cold blood, Byran Uyesugi mocked his seven coworkers for messing with him, calling them names and saying they deserved to die.
No parole for Byran Uyesugi,
judge saysBy Debra Barayuga and Suzanne Tswei
Star-BulletinBut today, the families of those who were killed in Hawaii's worst multiple murder, prosecutors and the court had the last word.
Judge Marie Milks today sentenced convicted murderer Byran Uyesugi to a mandatory life term without parole -- Hawaii's harshest sentence -- for the Nov. 2, 1999, shooting deaths of seven of his Xerox coworkers.
Killed were Ron Kataoka, Ford Kanehira, Melvin Lee, John Sakamoto, Ron Kawamae, Peter Mark and Jason Balatico.
Although the sentencing was predictable, it was the final opportunity for family members of the victims to attempt to tell the court how Uyesugi's indifference to human life cost them husbands, fathers and brothers, destroyed their futures and deprived their young children of a Dad. They asked that the court make sure that Uyesugi is never set free.Reid Kawamae, son of Ron Kawamae, said Uyesugi made the wrong choice when he opened fire on seven defenseless men and should suffer in jail.
He said he hoped the delusions and "black shadows" that tormented Uyesugi accompany him in jail and "talk to him every day, at night before he falls asleep, and wake him up so he cannot sleep like I no sleep."
Since the day of the shooting, Kawamae said he has been unable to return to work or cry for his father because of the rage that consumes him over Uyesugi's unspeakable act. "How can you not cry at your father's funeral 'cause you got so much rage in you?"
As Kawamae stormed from the courtroom, his parting words to Uyesugi were, "I kick your ass one day."
John Sakamoto's widow, Susan, gave a tearful statement, calling Uyesugi "cold blooded" and an "unfeeling animal" who deprived her and her children of a happy life. "Byran Uyesugi, I hate you for what you have done to my husband and to all the other innocent victims," she said.
The cruel death of her husband has made her "feel like someone has ripped out your heart and soul," she said, adding, "May you never have a day of peace."
She said Uyesugi can never suffer enough for the pain he caused.
Ford Kanehira's widow, Lorna, said friends had described them as the perfect couple and he was a loving husband and father.
"It was always Ford and Lorna; I don't know how to be Lorna without Ford...I know in my lifetime, no one will ever love me the way he did," Kanehira said.
Deputy Prosecutor Chris Van Marter, one of two deputies who assisted Prosecutor Peter Carlisle in prosecuting the case, said although Uyesugi feels as though he has won, "He didn't win. Byran Uyesugi, you lose."
Despite her pain, Lynn Kataoka's message to the man who took her "Ronnie" and seven "truly beautiful souls" away was less harsh. She said she hopes one day Uyesugi will understand the enormity of what he has done and the lives he has destroyed.
"I'm sorry Byran was never able to have loved so he would know how much hurt he's caused."
Who can say whether justice will be served in this case, she said. "Only God can give punishment he deserves. That is my only comfort."
Just as Uyesugi showed no reaction when the jury rejected the insanity defense and returned a guilty-as-charged verdict on June 13 after deliberating less than 90 minutes, he showed no reaction today to the sentence, nor to family members who spoke about how their lives had been impacted.As part of his sentence, the court also ordered him to make restitution of $70,000, the same amount the Crime Victim's Compensation Commission gave to the victim's families, and what Milks called a "paltry" sum of $500 to the Balatico family for psychological treatment and medication.
Uyesugi submitted a two-page statement to the court, which was not read, and he declined to make a statement today. But one of his attorneys, Jerel Fonseca, said his apparent lack of remorse is because he doesn't comprehend the magnitude of what he has done because of his mental illness.
"He feels justified in some delusional way of his actions."
Uyesugi's aunt and uncle, who faithfully attended the trial daily and were present today, left the courtroom without making any statements.
Mental health experts who testified at trial did not dispute that Uyesugi suffered from a delusional disorder but disagreed on whether he knew at the time that what he was doing was wrong.
During the nearly three-week trial, the defense had sought an acquittal by reason of insanity, arguing that Uyesugi suffered from delusions that his coworkers were conspiring against him to make him look bad.
The state had argued that although he suffered from a mental disorder, he knew right from wrong when he gunned down his seven coworkers and attempted to shoot another, who narrowly escaped.
After sentencing, Uyesugi was taken directly to Halawa Community Correctional Center. Barring a pardon from the governor after he serves 20 years, Uyesugi will likely die in prison, observers say.
Fonseca said it's unlikely that the governor would grant a pardon because of the nature of the crime.
Uyesugi has indicated that he will appeal, Fonseca said.
So far, Uyesugi has not been threatened in prison and has expressed a desire to be released from protective custody, he said.
