Hagatna: A Guam man accused of killing three Japanese tourists and injuring 11 more in a frenzied knife attack went on trial Monday in the Pacific island nation.
Chad Ryan Desoto has pleaded not guilty to three counts of aggravated murder and 11 counts of attempted murder over the attack on February 12, 2013, with his lawyers arguing he was mentally ill.
Desoto, 22, allegedly ploughed his car into people in the tourist district of Tumon, then leapt from the car and attacked bystanders at random with a knife in each hand.
All of the victims were Japanese, included an eight-month-old baby and three-year-old toddler who both survived.
"The defendant pierced and shattered a peaceful night and he changed the lives of 14 innocent human beings forever," prosecutor Phil Tydingco told a jury.
Tydingco alleged Desoto`s action was deliberate as he planned "to act out his rage by becoming the centre of attention, by assuming the lead role of committing these crimes".
Desoto`s lawyer Eric Miller said his client was suffering from mental illness and "lacked the capacity to know or understand what he was doing".
More than 100 witnesses are expected to testify at the trial over the next four weeks.
