LIHUE — Preliminary arguments were heard Wednesday in District Court against a man accused of killing his mother last week as she worked at First Hawaiian Bank.
A witness described the Thursday afternoon slaying at her place of employment. A relative of the victim described a mother who had moved to Kauai not once, but twice, to help her son, but was ready to move because she feared him.
Louis Landsman, 34, sat quietly next to his defense attorney Melinda Mendes, flanked between two armed sheriff’s deputies. At times, he glanced around the courtroom.
He is charged with one count of murder in the second degree, with the possibility of enhanced sentencing.
Arguing on behalf of her client, Mendes requested that two individuals sitting in the courtroom’s gallery be removed during the hearing because they were being called to the stand as witnesses for the state.
As the witnesses were escorted into a waiting area, they confronted Landsman, “you murdered my sister,” one of them said, as second witness stated, “she can’t get you out of this one.”
During the hearing a witness called by the state, who works at the bank and was stationed just feet away from where the murder happened, described what she saw that day.
Prior to the murder, the witness stated Louis Landsman had come into the bank to speak with his mother, Charlene Landsman, 69, two times prior to the stabbing. After he left the first time, the witness stated Charlene Landsman told her co-workers that if her son came back to call the police.
He came back.
Following her co-worker’s instructions, the witness said she went to her supervisor and asked her to call the police, but after Louis Landsman left, the witness stated Charlene Landsman canceled the call.
The witness said she then saw Louis Landsman enter the bank a third time, this time with a knife on his side.
“I was helping a customer, he (Louis Landsman), was in the bank by the planters and I saw him lift up a long knife and stab her multiple times,” she said.
Attacked from behind, the witness stated during the attack, Charlene Landsman turned around and faced her son, before falling from her chair to the floor.
“He stabbed her several more times, then left on foot,” the witness said.
The attack was quick, the witness, who called 911 as soon as it began, told the court.
As soon as Louis Landsman fled the scene, the witness said bank employees attended to their co-worker.
Charlene Landsman was transported to Wilcox Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
About 1:40 p.m., Detective Mike Nii Jr. arrived on the scene. Charlene Landsman had already been transported to Wilcox Medical Center when he arrived.
During his initial investigation, Nii told the court the knife was still at the scene.
Surveillance video, Nii said, shows Louis Landsman walking into the bank, standing by the planters and then stabbing his mother. After the attack, Nii said he observed Louis Landsman on video, “stand up, walk out the doors, throw the peace sign and walk off.”
After leaving the bank, Nii said Louis Landsman walked across Rice Street near the Kauai Museum and other buildings before he came back to the scene and was apprehended.
The cause of death, Nii confirmed to the court, was a severed carotid artery. Additionally, there were markings on her ribs and two puncture wounds on the right portion of her back.
For the past few weeks, a witness told the court things were escalating with Louis Landsman, so much so that his mother was planning on moving to California this summer.
A witness told the court Louis Landsman had visited his mother on Mother’s Day and, after a nap, had flown into a rage. She was ready to move, fearing her son had mental health issues.
After the incident on Mother’s Day, Charlene Landsman called the witness and asked if it was still OK if she could move in with her.
“She was very calm. I heard something different in her voice,” the witness said.
When asked by Mendes about why she confronted Louis Landsman in court, the witness said, “I told Louie his mother would not be able to get him out of this one and he would be held accountable.”
The preliminary hearing continues Friday.
According to Ecourts Kokua, prior to the murder Louis Landsman was scheduled to be in court on June 6 for a case relating to a criminal property damage charges. Prior offenses include minor traffic violations.
Louis Landsman remains in custody on $1 million bail.
Why didn’t the witness press the alarm at the time of the stabbing?
Lock him up. Or set him free.
It appears that there were witnesses and camera evidence to this premeditated attack. The question is more of madness, or vengeance, or drug intoxication…but I’ve heard drug screens are not part of the state protocol there…could this be true?