Alleged Haleiwa slasher pleads not guilty
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
John F. Mayhew made his first court appearance in District Court on April 21. His public defender is Diamond Grace.
A 54-year-old man today pleaded not guilty to allegedly slashing a grocery store employee’s neck in an unprovoked attack in Haleiwa.
John F. Mayhew appeared at Circuit Court this morning via closed-circuit video link from the Oahu Community Correctional Center for attempted second-degree murder in the vicious attack against Jerry Pedro, an assistant manager at Malama Market.
Deputy public defender Lee Hayakawa pleaded not guilty to the charge on Mayhew’s behalf.
Judge Colette Garibaldi confirmed his bail at $100,000 and set his trial for July.
On April 18 inside Malama Market, police said Mayhew stabbed Pedro twice with a small knife, then dragged the blade across Pedro’s neck.
Mayhew also repeatedly called him a vampire. Police said he fled the market when a witness and two other men detained Mayhew until officers arrived.
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Paramedics transported Pedro, who suffered a lacerated trachea, to Queen’s Medical Center in serious condition. He underwent surgery and was later upgraded to stable condition.
Malama Market spokeswoman Sheryl Toda said Pedro has since been discharged from the hospital.
A mental health court panel indicated Mayhew has schizophrenia, according to court records related to a terroristic threatening case.
