Murder suspect enters not guilty plea in Kapolei police station attack

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Murder suspect Michael Armstrong appeared in front of a judge remotely from OCCC Monday.

He’s accused of beating Linda Johnson to death with a tree stump outside the Kapolei police station last month.

In court, a judge set his bail at $1 million after he pleaded not guilty to the brutal killing.

Armstrong’s father has said the suspect struggles with mental health issues, and that more should have been done to prevent something like this from happening. Some legal experts anticipate Armstrong’s attorney will likely use insanity as a defense again.

Armstrong had been in police custody earlier on the day of the murder for allegedly assaulting an HPD officer, but was he released just before the attack.

When asked in court if he understood the charges against him, Armstrong appeared confused before his attorney clarified they went over the charges and discussed them hours earlier.

The judge set a jury trial for the week of May 22.

Previous Reports:

• Experts: Suspect in brutal attack outside police station likely to use insanity defense again
• New details about murder outside Kapolei station raises questions about HPD response
• Caregivers: Woman’s ‘horrible’ murder outside Kapolei police station was preventable

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