Posted on: Tuesday, June 4, 2002

Suspect in two murders ordered held without bail

By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer

A circuit court judge yesterday ordered a 23-year-old Kailua man held without bail pending his trial on charges that he killed a Kapahulu woman in January, and a Nu'uanu man to prevent him from telling authorities what he knew about the first slaying.

Jason Perry, who is accused of the Jan. 21 strangulation death of Tracy Tominaga, 37, and the shooting death Jan. 26 of Edward Fuller, 40, had been detained at O'ahu Community Correctional Center, unable to post $5 million bail in the case. Bail of $1 million was also set for Perry in a related drugs and firearms case.

Circuit Judge Daniel Kochi yesterday granted a request by city deputy prosecutor Christopher Van Marter to hold Perry without bail while awaiting trial on second-degree murder charges in connection with the deaths of Tominaga and Fuller.

Trial is set for the week of July 3, but will more than likely be pushed back given the complexity of the case, Van Marter said.

David Bettencourt, Perry's lawyer, told Kochi that denying bail will make it difficult, if not impossible, for him and Perry to go over more than 60 audio tapes police recorded as they interviewed witnesses about the two slayings.

Kochi told Bettencourt that if access to his client becomes a problem, he should take the matter up with the yet-to-be-named judge who will try the case.