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Convicted murderer Byran Uyesugi told a psychologist that he first began thinking of killing fellow coworkers at Xerox two years ago and that he had shot them "according to his plan." Uyesugi said he
Xerox safeguards under scrutiny
killed coworkers
‘according to his plan’By Debra Barayuga
Star-Bulletin
The statements were among several Uyesugi made that were contained in doctors' reports unsealed yesterday by Circuit Judge Marie Milks.
Uyesugi awaits sentencing Tuesday for first-degree murder in the deaths of seven coworkers last November in Hawaii's worst multiple slaying. He faces a mandatory life term without parole.
While much of what was in the examiner's reports has already been testified to by mental health experts hired by the defense and the state during his monthlong trial, the reports reveal responses and mannerisms by Uyesugi that the public never had the opportunity to see after he declined to take the stand in his defense.
The state had argued that Uyesugi knew what he was doing when he gunned down seven co-workers and attempted unsuccessfully to shoot another on Nov. 2, 1999.
Uyesugi's attorneys raised the insanity defense, arguing that Uyesugi didn't know right from wrong and could not control his actions according to law. They argued he suffered from delusions that coworkers were out to get him, sabotaging his parts and machines and trying to make him look bad.
Uyesugi told Dr. James Greene, one of three court-appointed doctors, that he chose the time to execute his plan after a meeting with a supervisor that resulted in "yet another disappointment."
Testimony during trial indicated at this meeting he was told he would be undergoing training on more sophisticated copiers after a team meeting on Nov. 2.
He told Greene he chose a Glock 9mm for his plan because he shot it more accurately than other guns when shooting was his hobby. It was more reliable and less likely to jam, concealed well and he had extra clips for it. The clip also held many rounds.
Greene wrote that Uyesugi mentioned "missing" one individual he hoped to shoot but wasn't available. He said he went to the Hawaii Nature Park to wait until he was arrested because it was a "peaceful place" where he would eat lunch occasionally because it was "pleasant."
Psychiatrist Leonard Jacobs wrote in his report that Uyesugi "smiled a few times, once while describing his memory of the events of of Nov. 11, 1999 (sic), when he stated he shot to death six coworkers and his supervisor and missed killing another coworker."
As he recounted his actions from the time he got up that morning to the shootings, Uyesugi "smiled and acknowledged that he assessed the consequence to him of his actions is poor judgment."
He claimed that he had consulted an attorney about recourse available for what he believed was a conspiracy and harassment against him. But he was not encouraged that legal recourse was the answer.
Uyesugi told Greene he felt that kicking in an elevator door six years earlier, for which he was arrested, was justifiable because of the "verbal lambasting" directed at him by an irate customer.
Circuit Judge Marie Milks ordered the reports unsealed Monday upon request by the Honolulu Advertiser and KGMB.
Xerox killings
Uyesugi verdict
Xerox Corp. safeguards to protect employees before and after the Nov. 2, 1999, fatal shootings of seven of its employees continue to be under scrutiny. Xerox safeguards
under scrutinyStar-Bulletin staff
Bob Cole, safety manager, Occupational Safety and Health Division, state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, said: "There's nothing at this point to add except it's ongoing."
Xerox policies, practices, tactics, resources, training and awareness are being examined.
The purpose of the investigation is to determine if Xerox did all it could have done to prevent the shootings of its employees by another worker at the Nimitz Highway site.
Xerox killings
Uyesugi verdict