Whatever
Happened...
Question: What ever happened to those two guys who were accused of killing a transvestite in 1991, Ventura Jorge Rivera-Rios and Wilfredo Perez? Killer of transvestite is in jail,
but second man is on the loose
By Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.comAnswer: Ventura Jorge Rivera-Rios went on trial in March 1995 for the strangulation of Raymond Bernades Jr., 23, on a Mokuleia beach in August 1991.
A Circuit Court jury convicted Rivera-Rios on April 17, 1995, of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. Rivera-Rios is serving a minimum term of 30 years, which expires May 7, 2023, and is incarcerated in Oklahoma.
Wilfredo Perez was found guilty of first-degree hindering prosecution, second-degree assault and fourth-degree theft. He was paroled June 7, 1994, but returned to custody July 27, 1995, after failing to report to his parole officer.
Perez was released on Nov. 30, 1995, but absconded in March 1996 and has been at large since.
During the murder trial, Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Takata said Rivera-Rios killed Bernades because he believed Bernades was a woman and was upset because he had received oral sex from Bernades.
Rivera-Rios, then 27, and Perez, then 20, had gone to an area of Wahiawa frequented by prostitutes and drug dealers, and picked up Bernades in hopes of buying crystal methamphetamine.
Defense attorney Mary Wilkowski told jurors Bernades, who went by the name "Tina," caused his own death while practicing autoerotic asphyxiation. However, the medical examiner ruled out the defense's contention and said Bernades was strangled.
Perez testified that he saw Rivera-Rios expose Bernades' penis and wrap a bungee cord around his neck after announcing Bernades was gay. Perez said he fled the scene after he snatched Bernades' purse and threw a rock at his head.
Ever wonder what happened to a person, event or issue
that has been in the news? We'll try to find out
for you if you call the City Desk
at 529-4747, email to citydesk@starbulletin.com or write us at
500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813.