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| Hawaii Killer Given Double-Life Sentence |
| By KITV |
| Published: 08/05/2003 |
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Life in prison without parole is the harshest sentence available in Hawaii, but on July 28 a double killer got more than that. Jason Perry tortured and killed 37-year-old Tracey Tominaga and had a potential witness murdered as well, according to prosecutors. It was the way Tominaga died that inspired the law's toughest sentence. 'It's just a horrible thought to know the way that my sister died. She didn't deserve to die the way that she did,' Richard Tominaga said. Tominaga was taken to a remote house in Makakilo. She was handcuffed, taped head and foot and methodically beaten by a group of men until Perry finally strangled her. 'In the last moments of her life, one of them fondled her, molested her, and the others laughed,' prosecutor Chris Van Marter said. A few days later, Perry shot Edward Fuller, whom he'd told about killing Tominaga. Perry's lawyer's defense was to blame Tominaga. 'The victim unwisely engaged in criminal conduct that resulted in a crime against herself,' defense attorney David Bettencourt said. Perry claimed Tominaga and a friend threatened him with a shotgun and stole drugs. He blamed the drugs. 'If (the drug) ice wasn't involved, I believe Tracey would have been in a whole different place, as well as I,' Perry said. 'It wasn't supposed to be that way, but it ended up that way, and I take responsibility.' 'Ms. Tominaga was tortured before she died. Mr. Perry's actions and decisions were cruel and reprehensible,' Judge Karen Ahn said. Ahn gave Perry two life terms without parole and ordered them served consecutively, which usually means he would serve one after the other. Tominaga's family said they can now move on, comforted by their faith in God and the ability to forgive. 'It hurts, but we have to find heart to forgive. That's about it,' said Tracey Tominaga's father, Donald Tominaga. Technically, the sentence Perry received Monday is tougher than for mass murderers Byran Uyesugi and Orlando Ganal. Uyesugi received a life sentence for killing seven men in a 1999 slaying at the Honolulu Xerox offices. Ganal was convicted of murdering five people and injuring three others in a 1991 rampage. |
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