A 41-year-old man has pleaded guilty to the last of four murders on the North Shore tied to a drug ring allegedly run by a former prison guard. Man pleads
guilty to North Shore
drug-ring killingBy Debra Barayuga
Star-BulletinGregory Peregil pleaded guilty yesterday to second-degree murder for shooting John Wailehua-Hansen in the back of the head in March 1997.
"I did pull the trigger on John," Peregil told the court. But he said he did so because "it was either him or me."
Peregil, who faced members of Wailehua-Hansen's family for the first time since he was indicted in September 1999, turned to them briefly in the courtroom and apologized, saying he feels remorse and regret for what he did.
Myles Breiner, Peregil's attorney, said his client was manipulated by former prison guard and one-time friend Styran Rivera, who convinced him that Wailehua-Hansen was out to kill him.
Peregil worked for Rivera, as did two others who have since been convicted in three other murders on the North Shore, Breiner said.
Breiner said Peregil recognized from the outset what a horrible thing he had done and had been looking for an opportunity to come forward. Peregil hopes his plea will bring some closure for his family, as well as the Wailehua-Hansen family, Breiner said.
Peregil, an auto mechanic, faces a life term with the possibility of parole, with a mandatory 10 years' imprisonment for using a firearm, when sentenced Aug. 13.
Wailehua-Hansen was last heard of in March 1997 when he went to do repair work at the home of Rivera, whom police say dealt drugs. According to the state, Rivera allegedly had lured Wailehua-Hansen outside a shack he leased in Waialua when he was shot.
Rivera is now serving consecutive life sentences as an accomplice in the disappearance and murders of Paris France and Steven Tozon. He maintains he was railroaded into pleading guilty by his first lawyer.
Wailehua-Hansen, France and Tozon were involved with Rivera and his criminal activities, Breiner said.
Edward Vidal and Benjamin Tandal Jr. have since pleaded guilty to murdering or helping dispose of the bodies of France, Tozon and a third man, Tranquilino Bati Jr.
Wailehua-Hansen's remains were uncovered from a 12-foot-deep pit in Waialua in November 1999 after Vidal allegedly told police of the location. France's remains were also recovered.
Tandal admitted to tossing the remains of Tozon and Bati into the ocean off Haleiwa.
Under a plea agreement, Peregil has agreed to cooperate with police and prosecutors in bringing the North Shore murders to a close, said Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Takata.