Guam Crash-Stabbing Rampage Trial Opens
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Attorneys have delivered opening statements in the murder trial of a 22-year-old man charged with killing three Japanese tourists and hurting 11 others during a rampage in a tourist area on Guam.
Authorities accuse Chad Ryan DeSoto of barreling his car down a sidewalk, crashing into a convenience store, then getting out and stabbing bystanders during the Feb. 12, 2013, attack that also shocked the island U.S. territory.
Chief Prosecutor Phillip J. Tydingco told the 11-woman, one-man jury Monday that the case is about DeSoto acting out his anger and rage over his life and relationships by committing his crimes in the heart of Guam's Tumon tourist district.
DeSoto's counsel, public defender Eric Miller, told the panel that the case was about mental illness. He said his client wasn't guilty "by reason of insanity."
The trial was adjourned until Tuesday. Some 170 people are expected to testify during the expected month-long trial.