Byran Uyesugi
Encyclopedia
The Xerox murders was an incident of mass murder
that occurred on November 2, 1999, in a Xerox
building in Honolulu, Hawaii
, United States
. Service technician Byran Koji Uyesugi shot at eight people; seven fatally (six co-workers and his supervisor) and one more fired upon during escape. This was the worst mass murder in the history of Hawaii
. The case also heightened awareness of workplace violence
in Hawaii and elsewhere.
semi-automatic pistol, killing his supervisor and six co-workers, and fired in the direction of another co-worker who fled the building. The eighth person was able to exit without any injuries. After the shooting, Uyesugi fled in a company van, and by mid-morning, he was found cornered in the mountains above downtown Honolulu. He then held a standoff with police that lasted for five hours, until approximately 3:00 p.m. HST
, when he surrendered to police.
, Uyesugi was a member of the school's Army JROTC chapter and was a member of the school's riflery team. Classmates remembered him as a quiet student who never got into trouble. According to his brother Dennis, Uyesugi crashed their father's car and hit his head on the windshield shortly after graduating high school in 1977 coming home from a graduation party and was never the same. He also had a daughter, born in 1996, who attended Queen Emma Preschool in Nuuanu Pali
.
Uyesugi had been employed by Xerox as a technician since 1984. Among his hobbies was raising and breeding goldfish
and koi
, which he would sell to local pet stores. He also had an extensive collection of firearms, and at the time of the murders had as many as 25 guns registered in his name dating back to 1982. Police also recovered eleven handguns, five rifles and two shotguns from Uyesugi's father.
Uyesugi's troubles apparently began soon after he was transferred to another workgroup. He began making unfounded accusations of harassment and product tampering against fellow repairmen, who had great difficulty placating his anger. Former co-workers who knew him reported the other members of his team allegedly ostracized him, making him feel isolated and withdrawn. His anger was such that he reportedly made threats against other co-workers' lives. In 1993, he was ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation and anger management courses after he kicked in and damaged an elevator door. Uyesugi was arrested for third degree criminal property damage. Co-workers told Dr. Michael Welner
, Chairman of The Forensic Panel and renowned forensic psychiatrist
who interviewed Uyesugi prior to trial, stated that as early as 1995, Uyesugi was openly speaking of carrying out a mass shooting at the workplace were he ever to be fired. He also felt that his co-workers were engaged in patterns of harassment, back stabbing behavior, and spreading of rumors.
In the period leading up to the shootings, Xerox
management had become increasingly committed to phasing out the type of photocopier that Uyesugi had been accustomed to servicing. He resisted learning the replacement machine, fearing that he could not keep up with its technical demands. After working around his refusal to train on the new machine, Uyesugi’s manager insisted on November 1, 1999 that he would begin training the next day. In his interview with Dr. Michael Welner, who examined Uyesugi when the defendant brought an insanity defense, Uyesugi reasoned that because he would refuse to undertake the training, management would then fire him. As he told Dr. Welner, “I decided to give them a reason to fire me.”
and Dr. Daryl Matthews
testified for the defense that he was insane, citing the delusions about how others were tampering with his fish. Dr. Michael Welner testified for the prosecution that although Mr. Uyesugi was in his opinion a schizophrenic, he carried out the shooting because he was angry that he would be fired for insubordination, and that his own account of concealment before the crime demonstrated that he knew what he had done was wrong.
The jury
found him sane and guilty of seven murders and one attempted murder. He received a sentence of life without chance of parole. Hawaii does not have the death penalty.
He appealed his conviction. In 2002, the State of Hawaii Supreme Court upheld Uyesugi's conviction. In 2004, Uyesugi was considering fighting his conviction based on Rule 40, inadequate representation by his lawyers in his first trial.
In 2005, Xerox and the hospital that examined Uyesugi settled a lawsuit brought by the families of the shooting victims, who felt that both had ignored clear signs of Uyesugi's mental instability.
built a sound stage
there to film indoor scenes.
As a result of the shooting, a new state law was passed that requires doctors to reveal information about the mental state of potential gun owners.
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
that occurred on November 2, 1999, in a Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
building in Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Service technician Byran Koji Uyesugi shot at eight people; seven fatally (six co-workers and his supervisor) and one more fired upon during escape. This was the worst mass murder in the history of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. The case also heightened awareness of workplace violence
Workplace violence
Workplace violence refers to violence that originates from employees or employers and threatens employers and/or other employees.-Definition:The definition of work related violence that has received pan-European acceptance is as follows:...
in Hawaii and elsewhere.
The shooting
At 8:00 in the morning, Byran Koji Uyesugi, a service technician working at Xerox, opened fire inside the building with a 9mm GlockGlock
Glock Ges.m.b.H. is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock...
semi-automatic pistol, killing his supervisor and six co-workers, and fired in the direction of another co-worker who fled the building. The eighth person was able to exit without any injuries. After the shooting, Uyesugi fled in a company van, and by mid-morning, he was found cornered in the mountains above downtown Honolulu. He then held a standoff with police that lasted for five hours, until approximately 3:00 p.m. HST
Hawaii-Aleutian time zone
The Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone observes Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time , by subtracting ten hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 150th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory....
, when he surrendered to police.
Victims
- Christopher "Jason" Balatico, 33
- Ford Kanehira, 41
- Ronald Kataoka, 50
- Ronald Kawamae, 54
- Melvin Lee, 58
- Peter Mark, 46
- John Sakamoto, 36
Uyesugi's early life
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Uyesugi lived in the Nuuanu neighborhood of Honolulu. While attending Roosevelt High SchoolPresident Theodore Roosevelt High School
President Theodore Roosevelt High School is a public, co-educational college preparatory high school of the Hawaii State Department of Education and serves grades nine through twelve...
, Uyesugi was a member of the school's Army JROTC chapter and was a member of the school's riflery team. Classmates remembered him as a quiet student who never got into trouble. According to his brother Dennis, Uyesugi crashed their father's car and hit his head on the windshield shortly after graduating high school in 1977 coming home from a graduation party and was never the same. He also had a daughter, born in 1996, who attended Queen Emma Preschool in Nuuanu Pali
Nuuanu Pali
Nuuanu Pali is a section of the windward cliff of the Koolau mountain located at the head of Nuuanu Valley on the island of Oahu. It has a panoramic view of the windward coast of Oahu...
.
Uyesugi had been employed by Xerox as a technician since 1984. Among his hobbies was raising and breeding goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
and koi
Koi
or more specifically , are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens....
, which he would sell to local pet stores. He also had an extensive collection of firearms, and at the time of the murders had as many as 25 guns registered in his name dating back to 1982. Police also recovered eleven handguns, five rifles and two shotguns from Uyesugi's father.
Troubles with his employer
According to testimony from Uyesugi's father, Hiroyuki, Uyesugi was normal until he started working for Xerox in 1984. Then when Hiroyuki's wife (Byran's mother) died in 1988, Byran started to complain that he had a poking sensation in his head.Uyesugi's troubles apparently began soon after he was transferred to another workgroup. He began making unfounded accusations of harassment and product tampering against fellow repairmen, who had great difficulty placating his anger. Former co-workers who knew him reported the other members of his team allegedly ostracized him, making him feel isolated and withdrawn. His anger was such that he reportedly made threats against other co-workers' lives. In 1993, he was ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation and anger management courses after he kicked in and damaged an elevator door. Uyesugi was arrested for third degree criminal property damage. Co-workers told Dr. Michael Welner
Michael Welner
Michael Mark Welner, M.D., is an American Forensic Psychiatrist. He is founder and Chairman of The Forensic Panel, a forensic science practice, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine and an Adjunct Professor of Law Duquesne University School of Law...
, Chairman of The Forensic Panel and renowned forensic psychiatrist
Forensic psychiatry
Forensic psychiatry is a sub-speciality of psychiatry and an auxiliar science of criminology. It encompasses the interface between law and psychiatry...
who interviewed Uyesugi prior to trial, stated that as early as 1995, Uyesugi was openly speaking of carrying out a mass shooting at the workplace were he ever to be fired. He also felt that his co-workers were engaged in patterns of harassment, back stabbing behavior, and spreading of rumors.
In the period leading up to the shootings, Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
management had become increasingly committed to phasing out the type of photocopier that Uyesugi had been accustomed to servicing. He resisted learning the replacement machine, fearing that he could not keep up with its technical demands. After working around his refusal to train on the new machine, Uyesugi’s manager insisted on November 1, 1999 that he would begin training the next day. In his interview with Dr. Michael Welner, who examined Uyesugi when the defendant brought an insanity defense, Uyesugi reasoned that because he would refuse to undertake the training, management would then fire him. As he told Dr. Welner, “I decided to give them a reason to fire me.”
Trial and incarceration
Forty-year-old Byran Uyesugi's month-long trial began on May 15, 2000. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and claimed that he felt like an outcast at work and that he feared his colleagues were conspiring to have him fired. Dr. Park DietzPark Dietz
Park Elliott Dietz is a forensic psychiatrist and criminologist who was educated at Cornell University and Johns Hopkins University...
and Dr. Daryl Matthews
Daryl Matthews
Daryl Matthews is a medical doctor and a Professor of forensic Psychiatry at the University of Hawaii.Matthews has served as a Psychiatric consultant to the US Army...
testified for the defense that he was insane, citing the delusions about how others were tampering with his fish. Dr. Michael Welner testified for the prosecution that although Mr. Uyesugi was in his opinion a schizophrenic, he carried out the shooting because he was angry that he would be fired for insubordination, and that his own account of concealment before the crime demonstrated that he knew what he had done was wrong.
The jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
found him sane and guilty of seven murders and one attempted murder. He received a sentence of life without chance of parole. Hawaii does not have the death penalty.
He appealed his conviction. In 2002, the State of Hawaii Supreme Court upheld Uyesugi's conviction. In 2004, Uyesugi was considering fighting his conviction based on Rule 40, inadequate representation by his lawyers in his first trial.
In 2005, Xerox and the hospital that examined Uyesugi settled a lawsuit brought by the families of the shooting victims, who felt that both had ignored clear signs of Uyesugi's mental instability.
Aftermath
Xerox vacated the premises at 1200 N. Nimitz Highway after the shooting, and they stood idle until 2004, when the producers of the TV show LostLost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
built a sound stage
Sound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
there to film indoor scenes.
As a result of the shooting, a new state law was passed that requires doctors to reveal information about the mental state of potential gun owners.
External links
- Local coverage of the trial with pictures of victims in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin
- 2004 article looking back on incident five years later in the Honolulu AdvertiserHonolulu AdvertiserThe Honolulu Advertiser was a daily newspaper published in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the largest daily newspaper in the American state of Hawaii. It published daily with special Sunday and Internet editions...
- State of Hawaii vs. Byran Uyesugi