StarBulletin.com

Suspect was drunk before fatal stabbing


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POSTED: Tuesday, October 06, 2009

A man accused of entering an unlocked Kapiolani Boulevard apartment and stabbing a married couple and their 2-year-old daughter had a blood-alcohol content of 0.19 some 2 1/2 hours after the attack, according to state court records.

The legal threshold for driving drunk is 0.08 blood-alcohol content.

Sato Franklin Sigrah, 20, is facing second-degree murder, first- and second-degree attempted murder and first-degree burglary charges in Circuit Court in connection with the Oct. 11 attack.

Lyola Mesebeluu, 27, died from multiple stab wounds to her chest from a kitchen knife police said is from the apartment. Mesebeluu's husband, Keith, survived injuries he suffered fighting off his wife's attacker. The couple's daughter suffered a cut to her arm.

When police arrested Sigrah in the apartment, they found an empty 1.75-liter bottle of vodka in his backpack.

Sigrah told three court-appointed mental health experts he drank at least half the bottle and three beers after work.

; Sigrah told the experts that he blacked out after drinking beer and vodka and does not remember what happened.

He is at the Hawaii State Hospital for treatment after a judge found him mentally unfit last month to stand trial. The court will review Sigrah's mental fitness next month.

The judge made the finding based on the reports of the mental health experts who examined Sigrah. Two said Sigrah was unfit.

The third expert said Sigrah was fit to stand trial but was exaggerating or even faking psychiatric symptoms to get a favorable outcome. He said Sigrah told him he plans to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

Keith Mesebeluu told police he does not know Sigrah.

Sigrah's family members have said they do not believe Sigrah knew the Mesebeluus.