Alleged murderer's mom feared for life

A preliminary hearing for Adam Mau-Goffredo, 23, is set for tomorrow

The mother of the man accused of murdering three people at Tantalus Lookout last week warned authorities that her son was addicted to drugs and prone to "explosive behavior" four years ago when she filed for a temporary restraining order against him.

THE CHARGES The 18 counts against Adam Mau-Goffredo: » First-degree murder (for allegedly killing more than one person) » Second-degree murder, three counts » First-degree kidnapping, three counts » First-degree burglary, one count » First-degree robbery, one count » Using a firearm in the commission of a felony, seven counts » Place to keep a firearm, one count » First-degree theft, one count WHAT IS NEXT A preliminary hearing has been set for tomorrow, but a grand jury indictment could come before that.

Adam Koon Wai Mau-Goffredo, 23, appeared yesterday in Honolulu District Court on 18 counts of murder, robbery, kidnapping and other crimes. A preliminary hearing has been set for tomorrow, but Mau-Goffredo's attorney Brook Hart said city prosecutors might move to indict him via a state grand jury before that happens.

"It would not surprise me if they went to the grand jury before Wednesday," Hart said yesterday after the court appearance.

Mau-Goffredo's mother, Lynnette Li Liang Mau-Goffredo, was present at the District Court hearing but declined to comment about the TRO she filed in May 2002 or the proceedings yesterday.

"She doesn't have any more information than what she has read in the papers," said Lynnette Mau-Goffredo's attorney, Howard Luke. "She's really devastated about what has been reported thus far.

"Above all, she has a profound sense of remorse and sorrow for the families who have been affected."

In the TRO, which was filed but never served and eventually dismissed, Mau-Goffredo's mother scribbled down in handwritten notes that she believed her son would kill her if he was not in a "controlled environment" that provided "psychiatric treatment." She added that Adam was "chemically imbalanced" from overuse of "alcohol, ice, LSD, etc."

In the TRO she warned that "Adam needs protection and HELP!!! and TREATMENT!!! for everyone's safety and protection."

Between March and April 2002, she wrote that her son punched holes in her walls, threw a soda can through her window, broke his bedroom door into "splinters" and smashed his glass bathroom door. She also wrote that he "threatened to kill others, harm sisters" and believed "others will kill him."

According to his mother, Mau-Goffredo's demeanor would at times range from "calm to explosive" and that he believed "others are making him do these things."

"He is not in control of himself," she wrote.

On Thursday, Mau-Goffredo took a taxicab to Tantalus lookout and allegedly shot his taxi driver, 50-year-old Manh Nguyen, and Jason and Colleen Takamori, both 53, who were taking pictures of the scenic view below.

According to the Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office, autopsy results show that Nguyen and Colleen Takamori each died of a single gunshot wound to the head, while Jason Takamori died of two gunshot wounds to the head.

After the shooting, police said Mau-Goffredo stole Nguyen's taxivan, drove it to a nearby Round Top home and tied up three people at gunpoint, then stole a green Jaguar. The victims managed to get free and called police, who stopped and arrested Mau-Goffredo as he drove down the hill.

Homicide investigators are not releasing information about the gun used in the slayings and whether it was the same one that Mau-Goffredo used in the home invasion robbery. However, sources close to the investigation said that soon after the shootings, the suspect's legal guardian, William Roy Carroll Jr., reported his handgun stolen from his 10th Avenue home in Palolo. Neither Carroll nor his attorney Sam King Jr. were available for comment yesterday.

Hart said he wanted a physician to examine his client as soon as possible to determine his mental status before any more court proceedings take place, whether it be a preliminary hearing or a grand jury indictment.

"He has a documented history of paranoid schizophrenia, and I imagine that that history and his mental status will play a central role in the case," he said.