Doctors agree
that killer is
still a risk
A man who killed his
By Debra Barayuga
parents in 1979 has a pass
that lets him leave the
state hospital
Star-BulletinA man who was declared mentally ill and acquitted almost 20 years ago of killing his parents won't be released from the Hawaii State Hospital anytime soon, prosecutors say.
Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Takata last week filed a motion to revoke Chong Ui Park's 12-hour off-grounds hospital pass because he is a danger to the community.
A hearing on the motion is set for Dec. 22 before Circuit Judge Michael Town.
A court-appointed panel of doctors who recently examined Park to determine whether he is a danger to himself or to others all agreed he presents a danger, Takata said.
The 12-hour pass was granted last year to help reintegrate Park into the community after one doctor found he wasn't a danger, Takata said. Because of the panel's latest finding, Takata said he has grounds to ask the court to revoke the pass.
Deputy public defender Carol Kunishima last week withdrew a motion by Park seeking conditional release.
Park was acquitted in May 1980 for shooting his parents at their Kuhio Park Terrace apartment in November 1979.
Why he shot them is not clear. However, doctors found Park, 21 at the time, was a chronic paranoid schizophrenic who suffered from delusions about his parents and siblings.
This isn't the first time Park has asked to be released. He was granted conditional release for two years in the early '90s, to live at a halfway house, Takata said. But the release was revoked after he attempted suicide.
Because he withdrew his latest application, Park can file another at any time. If the court denied his request, he would have been prohibited from filing for a year.
