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Saturday, July 7, 2001



Man fit to stand
trial in chef’s death

Tam Van Huynh is accused of
stabbing Thomas Matsuda
to death Dec. 1


By Treena Shapiro
tshapiro@starbulletin.com

A cook charged with the Dec. 1 stabbing death of Sheraton Waikiki Hotels' senior sous chef Thomas Matsuda is fit to stand trial, a Circuit Court judge ruled yesterday.

Judge Sandra Simms based her ruling on reports from a panel of three doctors who found 39-year-old Tam Van Huynh fit to stand trial.

But Simms agreed with Huynh's attorney Nelson Goo that some of the language in two of the three reports was ambiguous.

One doctor said Huynh may have had psychotic hallucinations or a physical or mental disease. Language in another report suggested that Huynh may have had an abnormal head X-ray, Goo pointed out.

"It is still my concern that not enough of a work-up was done," Goo said. Simms granted a continuance to Sept. 4 to give time for further neurological and psychological evaluation. Huynh had been scheduled for trial at the end of this month.

Huynh is accused of stabbing Matsuda, 49, in the abdomen minutes after the chef informed him of a schedule change.

According to the court documents, an employee who had been in Matsuda's office at the time of the stabbing saw Huynh enter the office, lunge at Matsuda and stab him with a large kitchen knife with his left hand. Matsuda was pronounced dead at Queen's Medical Center.

Other co-workers saw Huynh leaving the office immediately afterward with what appeared to be blood on his white uniform.

Huynh is charged with second-degree murder, which is punishable by life with the possibility of parole.

Goo said he has not yet decided whether to use an insanity defense and may instead argue self-defense.



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