Court orders mental exam for Kansas visitor accused in Kona boat knife attack

A Kona judge has ordered a mental examination for a 21-year-old Kansas visitor accused of stabbing a charter-boat captain during a snorkeling trip off the Kona coast, a case that has put visitor safety and crew protection at the center of West Hawaii’s tourism economy.

Avery J. Nissen of Overland Park, Kansas, is charged with attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault after the alleged attack on Stanley Lurbiecki, 62, captain of the catamaran No Wiki. Police said the total bail was set at $1.57 million.

Hawaii Police Department said Kona patrol officers responded to Honokōhau Harbor at about 3:21 p.m. Thursday, April 16, as the vessel returned from a three-hour snorkel tour off the Kona coast. Police said Lurbiecki suffered a stab wound to the lower abdomen and numerous knife cuts to his head and hands. He was taken to Kona Community Hospital in stable condition.

The court move came Monday, April 21, when Kona District Judge Kimberly Tsuchiya granted a defense motion for a mental examination to determine whether Nissen is fit to stand trial. Deputy Public Defender Victoria Andrade-McKeehan asked for the evaluation, and prosecutors did not object. With the exam now ordered, the criminal case is expected to move more slowly while the court determines whether proceedings can continue.

The facts of the attack have been especially jarring because they unfolded on a private excursion meant for visitors, not in a remote crisis zone. Hawai‘i Nautical operated the 55-foot catamaran, and Lurbiecki said he had taken Nissen, his mother and a sibling out on the boat. During the outing, the other two family members went into the water while Nissen remained aboard.

Police said other passengers on the vessel intervened and restrained Nissen during the attack. Lurbiecki said Nissen allegedly took a 10-inch filet knife from the galley and attacked him without provocation. After the struggle, Nissen jumped into the water, and Lurbiecki and crew member Ian Cook brought him back aboard. Lurbiecki said he lost almost half his blood and received several blood transfusions.

Lurbiecki, who said he has been a boat captain for 35 years, described it as one of the most random and violent attacks he has experienced. Police said the motive remains unknown. For Kona charter operators, the case has raised hard questions about onboard security, emergency response and how quickly a routine day on the water can turn into a life-threatening confrontation in a place where medical help and law enforcement are farther away than on shore.