A judge on Thursday ordered a mental examination for an accused killer.
Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto ordered an examination of 36-year-old Michael Dwayne Carvalho II of Pahoa by a panel of three mental health professionals.
The examination is to determine both Carvalho’s fitness to stand trial and penal responsibility, the latter meaning whether Carvalho had the mental capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his alleged actions when they occurred.
Carvalho entered not guilty pleas to charges of second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, assaulting a police officer, and two counts each of second-degree property damage and habitual property crime.
He’s accused of the fatal beating and strangulation of 34-year-old Makalapuanani Beverly Mauga on Sept. 15 in the Hawaiian Beaches subdivision of Pahoa.
Nakamoto maintained Carvalho’s bail at $2,010,000 and scheduled a hearing for 9 a.m. Dec. 16.