Suspect charged in death of Japanese visitor

[nekohead]

First NEWS story.

http://starbulletin.com/2007/04/28/news/story05.html
Kalihi neighbors and the family of the man arrested in the apparent murder of a Japanese visitor say he is a friendly, churchgoing family man.

That's why it stunned Jackie Badua when police detectives arrived this week to investigate and arrest her neighbor Kirk Lankford, 22.

"I was pretty shocked when the police came down, because we don't think he could do it," said Badua, who lives next to Lankford's house on Hani Lane in Kalihi. "He's a loving husband and father, and they have another baby coming."

Lankford was arrested Thursday afternoon after a two-week search and investigation into 21-year-old Masumi Watanabe's disappearance.

Although investigators have yet to find a body, police feel confident with the forensic evidence that they obtained to arrest and charge Lankford with second-degree murder.

As of late last night, police had not charged him. They have until 5 p.m. today to charge Lankford, or they must release him.

Police seized his pickup truck in connection with the case, and the case went from a missing-person case to a murder investigation days later.

"He's not a killer," Lankford's father, Howard Lewis Lankford, told KITV in a phone interview from Colorado Springs, Colo. "He's way, way on the other end of the spectrum. He'd give you everything he had before he'd do anything to you."

Despite reports of Watanabe's glasses and blood being found in the truck, Capt. Frank Fujii said the department will not release details of the evidence they found. He said he did not want the case to be tried in the media before charges were brought.

Lankford was a technician at Hauoli Pest Control since 2003 but was fired sometime after Watanabe was reported missing. Company officials declined to comment further.

"We join with the rest of the community in offering our thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of Masumi Watanabe, and we will continue to cooperate fully with authorities in this investigation," said a statement from the company.

Watanabe's parents are in Hawaii and have requested privacy, said Makoto Hinei, senior consul general of the Consulate General of Japan. "They are grieving after the news, and it is a terrible tragedy," Hinei said.

He added the office is not concerned that this case will add to a negative perception of Hawaii in Japan, because it is such a rare incident. The case has caught the attention of Japanese media.

One of Lankford's neighbors, who asked not to be identified, said Lankford owns his Hani Lane home and rents to a tenant in the house. He purchased and moved into the home in November 2005, the neighbor said.

"The family seems to think the police don't have hard evidence against him," said the neighbor, who spoke with Lankford's wife after the arrest. "I'm hoping he is falsely accused so he can come back and take care of his family."

Badua said she and her husband and 1-year-old son attended church with Lankford and his family about four times. They attend the Potter's House Christian Fellowship Church.

"He leads the prayers in church," said Badua, who has lived on the street for 10 years. She said Lankford often invited people over for Bible studies.

Badua said police investigators visited Lankford at his home on Saturday. After Lankford went with police, Badua said, he told her they tested him for DNA evidence.

"He apologized to the neighbors for the scene because it was unexpected," Badua said. "Yesterday it was a shock because we saw a lot of cop cars."

Badua said police did not interview her or other neighbors. The neighbors described him as shy but friendly. "I hope it turns out that he's not guilty," she said. "We don't see him as that kind of person."



Second NEWS post


http://starbulletin.com/breaking/breaking.php?id=5758

Prosecutors charged a 22-year-old Kalihi man with second-degree murder in the death of Japanese visitor.
Kirk Lankford is being held on $1 million bail in connection with the disappearance of Masumi Watanabe, who was visiting Hawaii and staying with a host family in Pupukea.

The city prosecutor’s office is holding a press conference this afternoon on the case.

Lankford was arrested Thursday after a two-week search and investigation into 21-year-old Masumi Watanabe’s disappearance. Her body has not been found.

Police seized Lankford's pickup truck in connection with the case, and reclassified the case from a missing personsto a murder investigation.

Lankford was a technician at Hauoli Pest Control since 2003 but was fired recently after police interviewed him in connection with Watanabe's disappearnce.

Lankford's family and neighbors are in disbelief over his arrest and describe him as a churchgoing, family man.

"He's not a killer," Lankford's father, Howard Lewis Lankford, told television station KITV in a telephone interview from colorado Springs, Colo.

Watanabe’s family is in Hawaii and have requested privacy.

[nekohead]

The picture of the guy. I had to show you the Face behind the story.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/zoom.pbs&Site=M1&Date=20070429&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=704290367&Ref=V2&Profile=1001&ilde?Site=M1&Date=20070429&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=704290367&Ref=V2&Profile=1001

More of the story.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070429/NEWS01/704290367/1001/NEWS&GID=YbphDeX4sd69ceUKUWICZkKbKyoQVd+WPelJdJhQVMs%3D


Kirk Lankford, the 22-year-old Kalihi pest control technician who became a suspect in the widely publicized homicide investigation surrounding missing Japanese visitor Masumi Watanabe, was formally charged yesterday with murder.

Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle called a press conference to say Lankford was charged with murder in the second degree in the disappearance and death of Watanabe, 21, who was last seen walking on Pupukea Road on April 12.

Lankford, who has been described by shocked neighbors and acquaintances as a friendly, family man and Bible student, faces life in prison if found guilty. His bail was set at $1 million.

Watanabe's body has not been found. Carlisle, who carefully avoided talking about the evidence against Lankford, instead focused his statements on dispelling the perception that without the victim's body there is no case.

He acknowledged that without a body the case would depend on circumstantial evidence, and that investigators and the prosecution would need to make such evidence compelling. But he said the successful disposal of a murder victim is not a means of escaping prosecution.

"There is a myth that circumstantial evidence is inadequate to prove any case beyond a reasonable doubt," he said. "That is false in Hawai'i and in the rest of the United States."

Carlisle mentioned his successful prosecution of Frank Janto, who is serving a life sentence for the slaying of a Wahiawa woman whose body was never found. In that case, Carlisle said, he was able to present convincing circumstantial evidence that Janto had incinerated his victim at the H-POWER plant at Campbell Industrial Park.

While Carlisle would not discuss the evidence against Lankford, some light on the case could be gained from the First Circuit Court document released yesterday outlining the probable cause for continuing to hold Lankford.

That document stated that on the night Watanabe was reported missing, April 12, a witness saw a man with a flashlight digging a hole at Kahana Bay. The witness became suspicious, jotted down the license number of the truck and reported it to the police. Police established that the truck was registered to Lankford, whom the witness later identified in a photo lineup.

Meanwhile, Lankford's managers at Hauoli Pest Control told authorities Lankford said cracks in the windshield of his company vehicle had been caused April 12 when an egret flew into the windshield. The managers, who later terminated Lankford, said the damage didn't appear to have been caused by a bird.

Investigators also spoke with a witness who said the morning of April 12 she saw a confused woman matching the description of Watanabe getting into a white truck.

After authorities obtained warrants to search both of Lankford's vehicles, they discovered a pair of glasses and what may have been traces of blood. Investigators later found that the glasses matched the prescription of Watanabe's glasses, and that DNA found on the glasses matched that found on Wata-nabe's toothbrushes.

Carlisle said yesterday that while Lankford was charged with a single count of murder, the charge included "murder by commission and murder by omission."

Murder by commission, he explained, "is caused by intentionally or knowingly causing the death of Masumi Watanabe," while murder by omission "is caused by omitting to perform a duty imposed by law by knowing Masumi Watanabe was suffering from serious physical harm and intentionally or knowingly failing to obtain or attempting to obtain aid from law enforcement or medical personnel."

Because Watanabe's case has garnered attention here and in Japan, a statement by Watanabe's parents was read in English and Japanese to some two dozen members of the media attending the press conference.

The statement expressed gratitude and appreciation to all who have participated in the search for their daughter. It said the family had been comforted by the care and concern of so many during this difficult time.

It said Watanabe loved Hawai'i, and although she didn't speak much English, gladly volunteered her time at Sunset Beach Elementary School. She spent her leisure time drawing pictures of animals and pets. In the end, the family held out hope that possibly there could be a happy ending to an otherwise tragic story.

"Our family and our friends continue to pray for the return of our beloved and precious daughter, Masumi Watanabe," the statement said.

TIMELINE OF MASUMI WATANABE CASE

April 12: Japanese visitor Masumi Watanabe is last seen walking on Pupukea Road about 10 a.m. She is reported missing that night and police start a missing person case.

April 13: A witness tells police he confronted a man with a flashlight digging a hole near Kahana Valley around midnight. The man leaves in a light-colored truck, but not before the witness notes the license plate number. The truck is identified as belonging to suspect Kirk Lankford, and the witness later identifies Lankford as the man he saw digging the hole.

On the same day, another witness tells police she saw Watanabe getting into a Hauoli Termite and Pest Control truck through the driver's side door on the morning of April 12 near the Pupukea Foodland. The witness later says Watanabe looked confused and was not talking to the male driver.

April 14: Hauoli Termite and Pest Control officials tell detectives that Lankford was working in the Pupukea area on April 12. Lankford confirms this in a telephone conversation with police. Later that day at the police station, Lankford denies knowing, meeting or picking up Watanabe.

April 15: Police collect Watanabe's hairbrush, razor and toothbrushes from her residence.

April 16: Lankford is arrested at his workplace on an outstanding traffic warrant. His personal and company trucks are confiscated by police. Before he can be interviewed by police, he requests an attorney. Lankford's wife, Corinne, tells police that on the night of April 12 the couple went to church together, but afterward Lankford left home, saying he needed to do a side job in Waipahu. Corinne said Lankford's socks were muddy when he returned home, but she later tells police they were clean, according to police.

On the same day, a Hauoli Termite and Pest Control official tells police that on April 12, Lankford reported that an egret flew into the windshield of his company truck, damaging the front passenger side. The company replaced the windshield and threw out the old one. The official told police the windshield damage did not appear to be caused by a bird.

April 17: Police find a pair of glasses in Lankford's company vehicle and blood on the right front seat and right front door panel.

April 19: Police interview Watanabe's parents, who say she is introverted and would not enter a stranger's vehicle. Her father says she would struggle if she had to defend herself.

April 20: Tests show the glasses found in the truck match the prescription issued to Watanabe.

April 21: Tests show that DNA on the glasses matches DNA recovered from Watanabe's toothbrush.

April 26: Tests show DNA recovered from the passenger door panel matches Watanabe's DNA. Police arrest Lankford at 4:45 p.m. at his home at 1926 Hani Lane.

Yesterday: Lankford is charged with second-degree murder. Bail is set at $1 million, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday

[Kuroyama]

They just had a splash of this story on TV here in Japan. Ive been on the road for a week now, so I may have missed a bit of coverage. Theyre still wrapping the news cycle of the Nagasaki Mayor that got killed.

Im surprised they put this guys face on Japanese TV at all given his complexion.

[nekohead]

That is why I posted the picture, before they TAKE it off....
So, everyone can get a look at the FOOL.

[atlasien]

That is why I posted the picture, before they TAKE it off....
So, everyone can get a look at the FOOL.

Looks like Carrot Top after a meth binge.

[JjampongMania]

I'm so angered by the news media of how they're racist towards us Asians.

When the suspect or murderer is an Asian pereson, esp an Asian male, they call him a "wacko" a "loner" a "shy guy" etc. You get the theme of what I'm saying.

But when the media talks about a white suspect, they always say that he's "nice" a "church-going person" and has neighbors that say nice thing about the white suspect. A great example is with this Japanese tourist murder case on Oahu in Hawaii. I am not surprised that a white guy murdered the Japanese female tourist (though she doesn't look attractive to me), because white guys always have sick fetishes for Japanese women.

I hope that punk rots in jail if he really did kill the Japaense tourist.

[nekohead]

UPDATE...."

http://starbulletin.com/2007/05/01/news/story05.html

Murder suspect claims innocence
The suspect's family has sympathy for the family of the Japanese visitor, his lawyer says

The defense attorney for a 22-year-old Kalihi man charged in the disappearance and presumed murder of a Japanese visitor offered a brief statement but would not comment on the case against his client.

"The Lankford family sends their condolences to the Watanabe family," said Honolulu attorney Don Wilkerson, retained to represent Kirk Matthew Lankford, a pest control technician who has since been fired.

When asked if Lankford is maintaining his innocence, Wilkerson replied, "Yes."

Lankford made his first court appearance yesterday before Honolulu District Judge Leslie Hayashi, who set his preliminary hearing for tomorrow and confirmed bail at $1 million.

Described by family members and neighbors as a shy, churchgoing family man, Lankford was charged Saturday with second-degree murder in the disappearance of 21-year-old Masumi Watanabe, who was last seen April 12 walking in Pupukea.
Homicide and missing-persons detectives continued scouring the North Shore and Windward areas yesterday, making checks and following up on leads. They were expected to go out again today.

Watanabe, who became enamored with Hawaii after visiting last September and returned to stay with a host family in Pupukea, volunteered at Sunset Beach Elementary and loved to sketch animals, particularly dogs, said her parents, Hideichi and Fumiko Watanabe.

Despite defense objections, Hayashi granted the media's request for cameras in the courtroom after finding no good cause to prohibit such coverage.

Wilkerson, who met with Lankford only yesterday morning, had argued that he was not given reasonable time to confer with his client about how to conduct himself in front of the media, particularly since this was his first public appearance. He said these are important considerations because of the prejudicial effect it could have on potential jurors.

Lankford, clad in a blue collared shirt and khaki cargo shorts and slippers, stood with hands clasped and remained silent throughout the hearing.

No body has been found, but Watanabe's DNA allegedly matches samples obtained from prescription glasses found inside Lankford's company truck and blood found on the door and passenger seat.

[nekohead]

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/405381


CHECK OUT THIS. They have some CRAZY COMMENTS about the case.




Amazing his family is saying
deano (Apr 29 2007 - 18:08) Rate | Report


that he was framed by the police...friends say it is out of character for him who is a dedicated church-going kind of guy...but how can you defend him when there were eyewitnesses of his truck during that time and the evidence is found inside...

right you are deano.
Dr_Evil (Apr 29 2007 - 18:29) Rate | Report


Beating this when her blood was found in your vehicle will be very hard. Wherever that info on his church going came from i'm not sure but I could make a comment about religious freaks just to get some going here but I won't.

22-year-old man charged with murder of Japanese woman in Hawaii
depeche_girl (Apr 29 2007 - 21:35) Rate | Report


As much as I think murders are tragic, why was the victim so guillible to ride into the man's car?
If she was forced into it (kidnapped) then I can understand.
But if she guillibly was looking for a hitchhike, then she didn't do the right thing.

22-year-old man charged with murder of Japanese woman in Hawaii
jeffcadieux (Apr 29 2007 - 23:36) Rate | Report


Depeche_girl, I've tried hitchhiking in Hawaii. I've been picked up while hiking down the road in Tasmania. I wouldn't call myself gullible. While I understand that there is a reality out there which is not ideal, I find it truly sad that I must live in a world where you can't accept a stranger's kindness for fear that you might end up dead.

22-year-old man charged with murder of Japanese woman in Hawaii
rjd_jr (Apr 30 2007 - 00:59) Rate | Report


Rest in Peace

22-year-old man charged with murder of Japanese woman in Hawaii
Macaijah (Apr 30 2007 - 01:00) Rate | Report


The "dedicated, church-going kind of person" argument is always annoying to hear. Need I recall the natorious BTK killer from Kansas who was caught in 2005. He had been a member of a Lutheran Church for about 30 years and held the position of President of the Congregational Council.

Macaijah
Zorro (Apr 30 2007 - 01:15) Rate | Report


The "dedicated, church-going kind of person" argument is always annoying to hear.


Absolutely. It is simply amazing that a human being can be so stupid as to continue to utter such a thing.

Does not mean I think he is guilty quite yet tho. But his church affiliation certainly amounts to a big fat nothing. Hitler claimed to be Christian too!

depeche_girl
LetFreedomRing (Apr 30 2007 - 09:13) Rate | Report


Before you come down too harshly on the victim, realize that we, as do the police, know absolutely nothing about the circumstances around Watanabe's death. We don't know if she got into the truck voluntarily. We don't know if she was forced. We don't know if she was killed outside of the truck, and then carried somewhere afterwards. In otherwords, we know zip. Yes, you do point out the possibility of a kidnapping, but not until after you've already judged the victim as gullible. Let the facts play out. Otherwise, someone will latch on to your comment and invariably turn this into another, "Oh, Japanese are so damned naive" rant-fest.

In the meantime, yeah, the evidence seems pretty incriminating. His truck at the scene. Blood and the victim's glasses in the truck.

A pearl of wisdom that will certainly aid in her son's defense:

"The police lie. That's what I know. That's all I know at this point; the police lie. My son is innocent," Patricia Ann Sander, the suspect's mother, told KITV in a separate interview."

Honolulu Advertiser reports
3RENSHO (Apr 30 2007 - 09:54) Rate | Report


the suspect, a (former) pest control technician, is a "friendly, family man and Bible student."

Charges against him include "murder by commission or by omission."

Bail has been set at USD$1000000.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...

.

Hawaii's Severe Weather Station
3RENSHO (Apr 30 2007 - 10:16) Rate | Report


"Much of the evidence suggests Lankford may have struck Watanabe with his work truck."

.

3RENSHO
Zorro (Apr 30 2007 - 20:05) Rate | Report


"Much of the evidence suggests Lankford may have struck Watanabe with his work truck."


Wouldnt it be interesting if it were found that the guy hit her quite accidently and tried to take her to the hospital? But then she died enroute and he thought, "Oh heck who is going to believe THAT story." So he got rid of the body.

Zorro
LetFreedomRing (May 1 2007 - 03:02) Rate | Report


You know, it wouldn't surprise me in the least. People can do some pretty dumb things in a crisis. To be honest, I would rather that it were your scenario than flat-out murder.

Man charged with murder in Hawaii
Sarge (May 1 2007 - 23:26) Rate | Report


Book 'em, Dano.

22-year-old man charged with murder of Japanese woman in Hawaii
LetFreedomRing (May 2 2007 - 09:37) Rate | Report


Ugh...!

Murder?
111774 (May 2 2007 - 10:53) Rate | Report


Why give her up for dead before suspecting she maybe hidden somewhere or even hidding herself?
Stinks of poor police judgement. They'd better be right or race relations are fixin' to take a hit.

[JjampongMania]

I am keeping up with this story as I used to live on Oahu.

There's a lot of anti-white or "haole" feelings the locals have for the mainlanders. I could care less, as this is called reverse dicrimination. A lot of the whites complain about racism here, but heck, that's their taste of medicine of what they hand out to us Asians on the continental US mainland.

Anyhow, getting back to this murder story, I just hate it when the suspect's family likes to whine about gripe about how his or her son is innocent and was framed by the police.

I don't know jack shit about this case, so I won't say whether lankford is the killer or not. Perhaps he's not Watanabe's killer, and the real nutcase is still on the lose!

However, notice how the media likes to portray white suspects as "church going" or "shy but friendly" or "good boy" people?

Now I hate to compare lankford to Seung-Hui Cho, because Cho killed 32 innocent people red handed. However, just look at how the US media likes to poke a lot of jabs at Asian suspects. Corrupt news stations ranging from CNN to CBS to ABC news called Seung-Hui Cho a "freak" a "loner" a "shy guy" or "mister question mark." The US news also expounds a lot on how Cho "stalked" emily hilscher, when in fact, he probably had a deep crush on her. Only for Cho to find out the reality of the "amerikkkan dating" scene where us Asian guys are at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to interracial dating here in the US.

Okay, getting back on track, I hope the police in Honolulu find out to see if lankford is really teh killer. He does look like a killer to me. You know...those typical white guys with a sickening fetish for Japanese females. If he did kill Watanabe, I hope he's hanged high and dry while he gets castrated without anesthetics! :mad:

[theme]

Seems like they have a pretty strong case against Lankford. I wonder what happened to Watanabe.

[JjampongMania]

I too think that lankford is the killer of Watanabe. As to what happened to her body...eh I don't want to think about the scenarios.

But I am guessing that he (lankford) either threw her dead body in a garbage incinerator, threw her body in a trash dump (but somebody will found out via foul decomposing body odor and call police), or throw her body into the ocean. There was a murder case in Hawaii, on the Big Island, 9 years ago, where a killer threw his victims body over a cliff into the sea. Police and other law enforcement authorities never recovered the victims body in that case.


Seems like they have a pretty strong case against Lankford. I wonder what happened to Watanabe.

[nekohead]

Seems like they have a pretty strong case against Lankford. I wonder what happened to Watanabe.


They DO have a GREAT CASE. The Evidence is RIGHT there! How in the world can he even PRETEND to play stupid. Just tell the darn cops were he put her body already. He needs to stop this play acting already. It is pissing me off so bad. Blood of hers in his car. come on, his family can't be that stupid.

[theme]

I guess he's just taking a page out of O.J.'s book.

[convictlankford]

We in Hawaii will not tolerate violence toward one another or visitors.

I don't know about you but I'm going to be in front of the courthouse sporting one of these Kirk Lankford Murderer kanji Tees found at http://www.kirklankford.com

Hopefully the japanese media will pick up on it so that the family can see that not all of us in the Aloha State and murderous bible thumping monsters.

[Presto]

The person selling those shirts should donate all the money from the t-shirt sales to the Watanabe family. I do not know what kind of greaseball would want to profit from someone's murder.

[Kuroyama]

Theme

I support OJ in his ability to be a Black man buying his way out of a murder conviction, and the fact that white America had to bend over and take it, as they had done to people of all colors since before they created a legal system here.

Though fame also played into it. As Chris Rock said, if OJ Simpson had been Orenthal James the Bus Driver... hed be under the jail right now.

Those two points aside...I dont care whos blood was found where, the prosecution had Mark Furman, an documented racist, as a key witness, who "found" key evidence linking Simpson to the crime.

...talk about reasonable doubt...

In the Watanabe case though... This would just yet-another white guy killing an Asian woman. Im surprised this one got caught. Whats saddening, but not surprising, is that I have heard, or read anything about this in Japanese news. Had it been a Black man that killed her, his face would be all over the media. But since hes not so dark... the Japanese media puts their collective heads in the sand. I do hate that about this place. But its not much different back home.

[JjampongMania]

Wow! one post ey? Trying to market your t-shirt here at fighting44s?

We in Hawaii will not tolerate violence toward one another or visitors.

I don't know about you but I'm going to be in front of the courthouse sporting one of these Kirk Lankford Murderer kanji Tees found at http://www.kirklankford.com

Hopefully the japanese media will pick up on it so that the family can see that not all of us in the Aloha State and murderous bible thumping monsters.

[JjampongMania]

Theme

I support OJ in his ability to be a Black man buying his way out of a murder conviction, and the fact that white America had to bend over and take it, as they had done to people of all colors since before they created a legal system here.


oj simpson is plain guilty of his murder. It's just that the majority of the jury members in his case were black females who thought that Nicole Goldman (whatever her damn name was) deserved to die for flirting with a black guy.

Kind of like how Asian males tend to be bitter at white guys for taking Asian girls.

Plus marshia clark, the clown, also allowed the majority of the jurors to be black females. Unfortunately, this clown prosecutor shot herself in the foot with her PC tactic!




Though fame also played into it. As Chris Rock said, if OJ Simpson had been Orenthal James the Bus Driver... hed be under the jail right now.

Wow, something I agree with. I like Chris Rock, he's a cool guy in my book.
Him and Bill Cosby ought to replace jesse jack-a$$-son and al sharpton as "speakers" of the black community. They're more assertive and conservative.




Whats saddening, but not surprising, is that I have heard, or read anything about this in Japanese news.


What kind of Japanese news do you read or watch? Tokyo After Dark movies?

I have read the Asahi Shinbun in English, as well as Kyodo News, and they did mention the murder incident in Hawaii.


Had it been a Black man that killed her, his face would be all over the media.


Are you sure? Remember that black US sailor who punched and killed a 56-year-old Japanese lady ..I think last year? Well, his picture was NEVER seen on any Japanese media outlet. As a matter of fact kuro, his face was drapped with a jacket when he walked in front of news camera people. The only face I saw on the Japanese media was a brief video interview with the suspect's dad in New Jersey asking the reporter "how can that be my son?!!!" Yeah sure. :rolleyes:


But since hes not so dark... the Japanese media puts their collective heads in the sand.


Well, then the Japaense media is plain stupid for doing that. seriously.


I do hate that about this place. But its not much different back home.


Well kuro, if you hate living in Japan, you always have the right to purchase a one-way plane ticket back to the states.

[poisenedrice]

This is the Department of Fighting44's Security, we are here to inform you that cracker pest infestation levels have been raised to Code Orange. Please be wary of any new YT posters with stupid Korean handles making stupid posts by impersonating Asians stupidly. If you suspect a new poster may be a lame-ass YT impersonating an Asian guy, please do not hesitate to alert any sarcastic and mean members to verbally harass said suspect.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

[momotaro_9]

We in Hawaii will not tolerate violence toward one another or visitors.

I don't know about you but I'm going to be in front of the courthouse sporting one of these Kirk Lankford Murderer kanji Tees found at http://www.kirklankford.com

Hopefully the japanese media will pick up on it so that the family can see that not all of us in the Aloha State and murderous bible thumping monsters.


Are you in your right mind? Going out of your way making t-shirts and a website. What is your motive? Sounds like you wanna benefit for yourself. You like making money off of other people?? let alone a murder case? Your sick!!!! get help and lay off the acid. what if hes not guilty(although it is pretty obvious everything points to Mr. Lankford.), wouldn't you feel pretty stupid. I know I'll be laughing my ass off. Get the facts straight before you assume anything. Yes, I am also from hawaii and I agree that we should tolerate violence against others. After all, we are the "Aloha State".

But take your IGNORANT crap and shove it.

[momotaro_9]

I could see you making these shirts if he confessed, but he still maintains his innocence. He was even willing to take a lie detector test, but prosecutors declined.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070503/NEWS20/705030347/1170/NEWS

[Scowl]

I feel sympathy for the victim's family and yet, at the same time, I find this thread kind of funny. This is true tragicomedy.

[convictlankford]

I’ve read the paper. I think he is guilty. Even if he goes to trial and is found Not Guilty it doesn’t mean that he is innocent. It scares the crap out of me that sickos like Lankford roam the streets. My intent is not to make a profit off of the murder or that poor innocent young woman. I plan on donating all proceeds to the Homeless man who reported the suspicious activity to the police. God Bless his soul for having the common sense to write down the license plate number and contact the proper authorities.

If you don’t like fact that I choose to voice my opinion by making a shirt, feel free to make one that protests his innocence. I bet the domain name freekirklankford.com is available.

[momotaro_9]

I’ve read the paper. I think he is guilty. Even if he goes to trial and is found Not Guilty it doesn’t mean that he is innocent. It scares the crap out of me that sickos like Lankford roam the streets. My intent is not to make a profit off of the murder or that poor innocent young woman. I plan on donating all proceeds to the Homeless man who reported the suspicious activity to the police. God Bless his soul for having the common sense to write down the license plate number and contact the proper authorities.

If you don’t like fact that I choose to voice my opinion by making a shirt, feel free to make one that protests his innocence. I bet the domain name freekirklankford.com is available.

Yes, that is your own opinion and you should keep it to yourself, share with friends/family or on threads like this. Its the way you expressed your opinion by making these shirts, with bad taste. "Murderer" in kanji??? LOL.... with his face on it??? Ridiculous. Who the hell would buy it?? why not put the victim on it?????? A remeberance of her and not of the accused. Now that is more sane and I bet you would sell more shirts that way. BTW, I really hope you donate all that money and stand by your word. Can't really trust people nowadays... especially when it comes to money and what they'll do with it.

[JjampongMania]

Dude, hope you're not pointing your dumb ass comment at me.

First of all, I'm no white person, so you're just insecure and can't accept the fact that every Asians have different tastes and opinions.

Second, you have no proof, so you sound like a whiny little cry baby 5 year old.

No wonder fighting44s is AKA, "whiners44s" at other Asian forums.! LOL!!!

This is the Department of Fighting44's Security, we are here to inform you that cracker pest infestation levels have been raised to Code Orange. Please be wary of any new YT posters with stupid Korean handles making stupid posts by impersonating Asians stupidly. If you suspect a new poster may be a lame-ass YT impersonating an Asian guy, please do not hesitate to alert any sarcastic and mean members to verbally harass said suspect.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

[nekohead]

Why would you say that???
That is not called for.
:(

[cattygurl]

JjampongMania, if you aren't white, then you've done quite the job learning to talk like an ignant hick.

[Kuroyama]

Jjam do I think OJ did it? I have no idea. But if he DID do it... Im all for putting him behind bars or to death...IF

You do the same to all the white people that killed non-whites and got away with it. If OJ had been Latino, Asian, or anything other than white, I would have cheered just as loudly. Its not about a Person of Color being allowed to kill a white person... Its about said person of color getting EQUAL TREATMENT UNDER LAW.

And as far as where I want to be... what place is more racially tolerant... re-read my post. You did quote it...

[nekohead]

The story link.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080403/NEWS01/804030362

By Jim Dooley
Advertiser Staff Writer

Accused murderer Kirk Lankford took the witness stand in his own defense yesterday, tearfully telling jurors that victim Masumi Watanabe died accidentally and that, afraid he would lose his job, he disposed of her body at sea because he thought it would be a "peaceful" place to lay her to rest.

Lankford, 23, is accused of murdering Watanabe, 21, a reserved young woman from Japan who came to Hawai'i to learn to be more outgoing and independent, after he encountered her walking on Pupukea Road last April 12.

A pest control technician with Hauoli Pest Control, Lankford said he was driving between customer stops that morning, looking at a map book when Watanabe stepped in front of his truck.

He said he "swerved and braked" but his truck made contact with her.

"It looked like she was trying to push off the side of the truck," he said, but in the collision her arm broke the lower right-hand corner of the windshield.

Lankford said he stopped and determined that Watanabe was not badly injured and offered to give her a ride home.

He said he didn't want to report the accident because he had already been warned about bad driving and was convinced he would lose his job.

Lankford said he communicated with Watanabe through hand gestures because of the language differences between them.

When he "signaled" to her that he would give her a ride, "she appeared to understand that," because she nodded and then got into the truck, Lankford told jurors.

After driving down and up Pupukea Road, slowing at intersections and houses, Lankford could not determine where to take Watanabe, he said, and drove along other streets branching off the main road, he said.

When he reached Makana Road, he said, "I really slowed down and she indicated I should go left."

While he was driving along Makana, Watanabe "started getting more and more upset" and he began driving faster, Lankford said.

"She started getting louder and louder, speaking in Japanese," Lankford said.

Asked by defense lawyer Donald Wilkerson how much noise Watanabe was making, Lankford said, "It was pretty loud, like screaming."

He raised his voice to be heard, telling her to "calm down, calm down," until he was also yelling, Lankford said.

When Lankford was driving "35 to 40 miles per hour," Watanabe "got really quiet and she dove out of the truck," he said.

He said he continued driving along Makana and considered leaving Watanabe there.

He said he was "in shock" and felt that "she clearly didn't want my help."

But he turned around and found her lying by the edge of the road, dead from a severe head injury caused when she struck a roadside rock, Lankford told jurors.

When he described the circumstances of the death, Lankford was standing beside a map of the Pupukea area set up in front of the jury box. His back was to the audience in the court and he spoke in a very soft voice punctuated by tears.

Watanabe wasn't breathing, had no pulse and had suffered a severe head wound above her right temple, Lankford testified.

"Her head was really messed up," he said.

Lankford looked for his cell phone in the truck but couldn't find it. "I was going to call someone, call my dad. He would know what to do," the defendant said.

Lankford said he felt "terrible" and knew he would "lose my job for sure now."

Not knowing what to do, he put Watanabe's body in the back of his truck and drove off. When he was leaving, he ran over his lunch box, which had fallen out of the truck, so he turned around again to retrieve it and then found Watanabe's glasses, shoes and a small notebook with Japanese writing in it, he said. He collected those items and drove off to continue his work duties, he said.

"I kept thinking, I'm going to lose my job. The only way I'm not going to lose my job is if nobody finds out what happened," Lankford said.

went to church
After finishing work that night, he dropped off his work truck with Watanabe's body still in the back at the Hauoli base yard and drove his personal truck home to Kalihi, he said. He took his wife, Corinne, and their son to church, where he was an active member, and sat in on band practice, falling asleep at one point with his son in his arms, he said.

He later took his wife and son home and went to Home Depot to buy a shovel, garbage bags, duct tape, gloves and a flashlight. He said he had decided to bury Watanabe because that "seemed like the right thing to do."

He drove back to work, moved Watanabe's body to his personal truck and drove to Kahana Bay on the Windward side of O'ahu.

He had put the body in three successive garbage bags, he said, duct-taping each bag closed.

He stopped at Kahana Bay at around midnight. He picked the spot because "I was trying to think of a place to bury her, a place that would be peaceful, I guess." And he added that he "really didn't want anybody to see me."

But he had bought the wrong kind of shovel, with a square blade that would only "scrape at the surface" of the earth at Kahana, Lankford said.

And while trying to dig the hole, he was interrupted by John Thoma, a homeless man who testified earlier in the trial that he frequented Kahana Bay because a close friend of his had been murdered there only months earlier and he liked to visit a small memorial he had erected in her memory.

Thoma demanded to know what Lankford was up to and pointed out the memorial that was right nearby, Lankford said.

"That really freaked me out when he said that. There was a dead person in the back of my truck," Lankford said.

When Thoma "said something about calling the police," Lankford left and drove along Kamehameha Highway toward Kane'ohe.

He stopped by the ocean near Kualoa Ranch, stripped down to his boxer shorts and carried Watanabe's body out to sea, walking barefoot on the reef as far as he could until the waves were "chest high," he said.

Then he released the body. "I thought that would hopefully be as peaceful as being buried beside the ocean," Lankford said.

Lankford said he "walked and swam back to shore," learning from his lawyer much later that it was high tide when he disposed of the body.

He said he did not injure his bare feet on the reef or rocks because they were "kind of calloused" from wearing thin-soled shoes.

He threw Watanabe's shoes, the duct tape, garbage bags and blood-stained paper towels in a trash bin at Windward Mall, he said.

He disposed of the shovel in a trash bin near his home.

'i was scared'
When he was later interviewed by police as a possible witness in the case, he didn't tell the truth, he said.

"I was scared. I was ashamed of what I had done. I knew what I had done was not the right thing at all even though I did it for what seemed like the right reason," Lankford said.

Prosecuting Attorney Peter Carlisle began his cross-examination of the defendant late in the afternoon, immediately homing in on Lankford's original statement to police.

Although he told HPD officer Phil Camero that he had never seen Watanabe, Carlisle asked, "You knew that she had been killed, correct?"

"I knew she was dead," Lankford replied. "Just because somebody's dead doesn't mean somebody killed her."

"You knew she had gotten dead, didn't you?" Carlisle then asked.

"Yes," Lankford answered.

"It was your plan and intention to lie?" Carlisle asked.

"I purposely lied to him," the defendant answered.

Lankford's testimony has been anticipated as the central part of the trial since it began six weeks ago. He took the stand wearing a brown suit, white shirt and floral-designed tie which he said his mother picked out for him.

His parents were in court yesterday, but not his wife. In response to questions from Wilkerson, Lankford said he married his wife when she was 16 and he was 19. They have two young sons.

He said he is the sole financial support for his family and was earning about $72,000 per year from Hauoli before he was arrested.

Cross-examination resumes this morning.