Bernie Peri: Man charged over alleged murder of ‘beloved’ Parkes Elvis impersonator, dead after pub karaoke

A man is charged with murder after a “beloved” Elvis Presley impersonator was found dead in his Parkes home at the weekend.

The Central West town is mourning the death of Bernie Peri, who was a well-known musician in the area and a frequent performer at local pubs. “Mr B” has also performed multiple times at the Parkes Elvis Festival.

The 75-year-old musician was last seen at Parkes’ Royal Hotel on Saturday evening, where he reportedly spent the night singing karaoke and entertaining the locals, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Emergency services were called to Alluvial Street at around 1.40pm where they located his body at his home — they were reportedly called after a concerned friend visited to check on Mr Peri.

A crime scene was established and a joint investigation, assisted by the homicide squad, commenced.

On Tuesday evening, police arrested a 28-year-old man at a home in Haylock Street, Tullamore, about 100km northwest of Parkes.

The man, identified by the Daily Telegraph as Marshall Karaitiana, was taken to Parkes Police Station and charged with murder.

He was refused bail and is due to appear at Parkes Local Court on Wednesday.

The Parkes community is reeling after the 75-year-old’s sudden death, with tributes flowing for the “true gentleman” who, according to a number of commenters, was “a legend” among the music scene.

Mr Peri was a regular fixture in the town’s Elvis Festival, and shared photos of himself dressed in bedazzled rompers parading the streets and singing to festival-goers.

He also posted videos of his singing to his social media, much to the delight of his friends, family, and fans.

The Royal Hotel, where Mr Peri was last seen, announced it will host an event on Wednesday for “one of our beloved patrons and entertainers”.

“The Royal Hotel will be throwing an hour of power to celebrate the life of our dearest friend and patron,” the pub wrote on social media.

The hotel said it would put on “Bernie’s beer of choice, Carlton Dry at a discounted price so that we can call gather while enjoyingone of his favourite brews”.

The post was flooded with commemorations for the 75-year-old crooner.

“A true gentleman, always ready to shake your hand, have a chat and sing some country songs. Fly high mate,” one local wrote.

“Such a beautiful soul. He was very down to earth and always ready to help,” another wrote.

One person wrote that the gesture was “much appreciated” by Mr Peri’s family.

“Bernie is and always will be a big part of the Parkes community and he’s going to be missed so very much.”

Mr Peri was booked to host karaoke at the Broadway Hotel during the 2025 Parkes Elvis Festival this January.

He was also a regular at the Tamworth Country Music Festival and, according to the Parkes Elvis Festival, was working on writing and producing an original album.