One of the two hikers allegedly attacked by Benjamin Davis on Koko Crater Feb. 1 suffered a broken neck, fractured skull and knife lacerations to his liver and diaphragm, a police officer testified in court.

Nicholas Iwamoto, 23, was still in The Queen's Medical Center yesterday, recovering from the life-threatening injuries and unavailable to testify at the preliminary hearing, said Detective Peter Boyle. Iwamoto is expected to be hospitalized for three weeks, Boyle said.

Iwamoto was stabbed 11 times and has serious, disfiguring injuries to his face and neck, Boyle said.

The second hiker, Guy Tanaka, identified Davis in court as the man who attacked him at the top of Koko Crater.

Some three dozen supporters of Davis, 19, attended the hearing in District Court, including Davis' mother, Amata Henry, who wept during much of the hearing.

As Boyle testified, Davis put his head on his hands on the defense table and appeared to weep.

He was wearing a blue prison jumpsuit and was shackled at the wrists and ankles. Davis spoke only to acknowledge that he understood brief questions from District Judge Edwin Nacino.

Davis was represented by Deputy Public Defender Debra Loy, who said during the hearing that her client's behavior while at Koko Crater "makes no conceivable sense to anyone."

A friend of Davis, Michael Kratzke, said outside court that the defendant is a talented rap musician who sings about "positive" issues and who is known for his quiet and gentle personality.

Kratzke said he believes Davis may have unwittingly smoked marijuana that had been laced with LSD.

According to Kratzke, Davis was supposed to meet with friends the night before the attacks but never appeared.

"He's a positive guy, very respectful of everybody," said Kratzke.

Davis is charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in the second degree.

Judge Nacino ruled that there is probable cause to believe that Davis committed the crimes and bound him over for trial in Circuit Court.

Boyle said that in addition to the severe injuries Iwamoto suffered, Queen's physicians described Tanaka's stab wound as life-threatening because it penetrated his chest wall and cut his left lung.

Tanaka said Davis attacked him as Tanaka stood at the top of the scenic hiking trail talking on his cell phone to his wife.

Tanaka said Davis approached him from behind and said, "You need to end the phone call right now."

Tanaka said he took off running when he saw that Davis was holding a folding knife with a 4- to 5-inch blade.

Tanaka said as he jumped down to the trail, he felt an "impact" on his back but didn't learn he had been stabbed until he encountered two hikers on the trail and warned them about the man with the knife.

Detective Boyle said personal belongings of Davis, including a notebook and "job applications" were found by a lifeguard at Sandy Beach, about a mile from Koko Crater.