Police have charged a recently paroled murderer with four felony offenses in connection with an early morning shooting Jan. 31 at Honolii lookout in Hilo that hospitalized a 31-year-old Kona man.
Police have charged a recently paroled murderer with four felony offenses in connection with an early morning shooting Jan. 31 at Honolii lookout in Hilo that hospitalized a 31-year-old Kona man.
John Perez III of Hilo was charged at 7:30 a.m. today with attempted second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony, being a felon in possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm on the highway.
His bail was set at $350,000 and he is scheduled to make his initial appearance Friday afternoon in Hilo District Court.
Another suspect in the Honolii shooting, 29-year-old Scottie I.K. Yanagawa of Hilo, was killed in a Feb. 9 shootout with police in the Hilo Wal-Mart parking lot.
The 43-year-old Perez was paroled Dec. 18. He was serving a life sentence for the Aug. 27, 1991, beating and strangulation death of Juliana “Trish” Laysa, a 23-year-old prostitute whose body was found two days later in a cane field above Alae Cemetery in Hilo.
Perez, reputedly a gang leader, said he contributed to Laysa’s death, but accused Tad Mason of the actual killing. Perez said Mason called himself “The Prince of Darkness” and had sacrificed a dog in a satanic ritual.
Perez said he and Mason had sex with Laysa in the graveyard before killing her. According to court transcripts, an FBI laboratory found Perez’s DNA, but not Mason’s, inside Laysa. Perez is also the only one who placed Mason at the murder scene.
Perez later recanted his testimony against Mason, but Mason was also convicted and sentenced to life plus 20 years. He remains incarcerated in Saguaro Correctional Center in Arizona.
Police continue to seek witnesses to the shooting which occurred in the Honolii lookout area shortly before 4:35 a.m. on Jan. 31. Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Detective Clarence Davies at 961-2383 or clarence.davies@hawaiicounty.gov, or Detective Todd Pataray at 961-2382 or todd.pataray@hawaiicounty.gov.
Those who prefer anonymity may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.