Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho urged the Office of the Public Defender yesterday to keep looking for an expert psychiatrist who can examine William Kapono Mathewson, a 36-year-old man charged with beating and stabbing Dr. Francois Claassens with a fishing spear in the neck.<\/p>\n
Chief Public Defender Douglas Hartig and assistant public defender Michael Sato, counsels for Mathewson, updated the court yesterday on the status of their search for an expert psychiatrist.<\/p>\n
Camacho later set a status conference for Oct. 28, 2015, and ordered all parties to appear at the next hearing.<\/p>\n
Chief Prosecutor Leonardo Rapadas and assistant attorney general Barbara Cepeda appeared for the government at the hearing.<\/p>\n
Mathewson\u2019s case has become stalled because he has yet to be examined by a psychiatrist.<\/p>\n
This is the second time that Camacho put off the status conference after learning that Mathewson has yet to be subjected to mental evaluation.<\/p>\n
In July, Hartig and Sato told the court that the Hawaii psychiatrist that they are contacting is still awaiting payment for services in three or four previous cases.<\/p>\n
The lawyers said the other option is to allow the psychiatrist to conduct the initial evaluation through Skype to save costs for the government.<\/p>\n
At that time, Skype was not possible due to an Internet outage that crippled communications systems in the CNMI.<\/p>\n
Camacho explained that the court can only appoint a psychiatrist but the payment should come from the Department of Finance.<\/p>\n
It was in April when Camacho granted Sato\u2019s request to appoint a psychiatrist who will examine Mathewson, capping the expense at $1,500.<\/p>\n
Sato had disclosed that Mathewson will rely upon the defense of insanity at the time when he committed the alleged crime.<\/p>\n
Mathewson, a farmer\/fisherman, allegedly stabbed the 60-year-old Claassens in the neck with a fishing spear and clubbed him on the head with a big pot and chain.<\/p>\n
The brutal attack happened in the backyard of the doctor\u2019s house in Teneto Village on Rota last April 4. Mathewson\u2019s house is near the doctor\u2019s residence.<\/p>\n
Claassens has since recovered from his injuries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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