No contest plea
in pedestrian's death

It's the second time the man has
been involved in a traffic accident
that killed a pedestrian

By Leila Fujimori
Star-Bulletin

The 22-year-old driver who killed a 90-year-old woman crossing the Pali Highway June 13 pleaded no contest to charges of third-degree negligent homicide in Honolulu District Court yesterday.

Brandon Tamashiro faces a maximum of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine for the misdemeanor. Judge Colette Y. Garibaldi ordered a pre-sentencing investigation, with sentencing to follow on Feb. 2.

Tamashiro was unwilling to speak to reporters, but his attorney, Nelson W. S. Goo, said, "Rather than go through any legal maneuvering and to exercise all legal options, Brandon has decided to accept full responsibility, which he has from Day One.

By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Brandon Tamashiro, left, appears with his
attorney in court yesterday.

"He's very sensitive to the family of the decedent in this case, and that's why he exercised his right to plead no contest today rather than drag this thing on."

Although Goo attempted to negotiate a plea agreement, Prosecutor Michelle Wong said, "We just couldn't come to an agreement." The prosecutor's office pushed for jail time. Goo said they were asking for too much.

The June 13 accident in which Tamashiro struck Anna Hara while she was in a crosswalk, however, was not Tamashiro's first.

While a juvenile at the age of 17, Tamashiro also struck and killed Phillip M. C. Kong in a Pali Highway crosswalk near where Hara was killed.

When asked for an explanation of the two fatalities, Goo cited the numerous accidents on that stretch of Pali Highway.

"It's a dangerous place and lightning does strike twice," Goo said, although he did not want to put all the blame on the circumstances.

Goo would not explain why his client had been inattentive while driving. But he did say that speed and alcohol were not factors and that an accident reconstruction expert estimated his top speed was 40 mph.

"He's entirely remorseful," Goo said. "You could see that from the day that the cameras were on him at the scene of the accident."

At sentencing, Goo will recommend probation, no jail time and offer a five-year suspension of his client's license.

Tamashiro has not been driving since the incident, Goo said. The 22-year-old catches the bus to his job at the Oahu Country Club where he is employed full-time as a waiter.