Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Escaped Hawaii patient captured in California
HONOLULU — A man acquitted of a 1979 murder by reason of insanity who escaped from a Hawaii psychiatric hospital over the weekend was arrested in California on Wednesday.
Randall Saito left the Hawaii State Hospital on Sunday, took a taxi to a chartered plane bound for the island of Maui and then boarded another plane to San Jose, Calif., Honolulu police said.
Saito was captured in Stockton on Wednesday as the result of a tip from an alert taxi driver, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department said.
The department posted a photograph on social media showing Saito surrounded by three deputies at a gas station.
Hospital staff called 911 to report his disappearance shortly after 7:30 p.m. Sunday — two hours after he landed in San Jose, Honolulu police said. An all-points bulletin was issued at 8:30 p.m.
Honolulu police received a tip that Saito was on his way to a brother’s home in Stockton and forwarded that information to authorities in California, Honolulu CrimeStoppers Sgt. Chris Kim said.
It wasn’t immediately known how he was able to charter a plane.
Late Tuesday night, the Hawaii Attorney General’s office charged Saito with felony escape and issued a $500,000 bench warrant for his arrest.
Saito was committed to the hospital outside Honolulu in 1981, two years after he was acquitted in the killing of Sandra Yamashiro. The victim was shot in the face with a pellet gun and repeatedly stabbed until she died before her body was found in her car at a mall. He had never met the woman before and chose her at random.
During the intensive psychological evaluation that followed the killing, authorities got a troubling and detailed understanding of Saito’s mind — analysis that frequently included the words “violent” and “psychopath” and “predator.”
“He is a psychopathic predator whose mental condition continues to represent a serious danger to the community,” deputy prosecuting attorney Jeffrey Albert said during one of several hearings to determine whether Saito should be freed, according to CBS affiliate KPIX. Saito “fills all the criteria of a classic serial killer.”
All the troubling revelations apparently didn’t stop Saito from having a large measure of freedom at the treatment facility.
Hospital staff called him “Randy,” according to NBC affiliate KHNL, and described him as a charming, likable guy.
He was allowed to leave the hospital grounds as long as he was escorted.
At least three members of the hospital staff had sex with Saito, KHNL reported. They also provided him with cellphones — and porn.
One of the hearings to determine whether he should be let out of the state hospital was attended by his wife, who had once worked as Saito’s patient advocate.
It was not immediately clear under what circumstances Saito left the facility in Kaneohe, a Honolulu suburb.
As news of Saito’s disappearance swirled, employees at the hospital were being scrutinized, while evidence mounted that the escapee had help getting out.
No alarms were tripped when he walked out of the mental hospital, alone and empty-handed, police said.
A short time later, after a brisk walk to a nearby park, he used a mobile phone to call a cab.
He gave his name as Bill and said he hoped the driver could hurry. He was trying to catch a chartered flight that was leaving at 10:30, KHNL reported.
As the driver headed to the airport in Oahu, a camera recorded Saito in the rear seat.
He wore a red jacket and a Hawaiian shirt, and rummaged through a bag as if for the first time. Inside was an iPhone, a portable charger and another change of clothes that he slipped on when the taxi reached the chartered plane’s hangar.