Uncle says nephew accused of murdering mother, aunt in Argentina a ‘psychopath’

The uncle of the Israeli man accused of murdering his mother and aunt in Argentina earlier this month said he believes his estranged nephew is guilty of the killings, calling him a “pathological liar and a psychopath.”

Moshe Pereg told reporters at a press conference Monday that his nephew Gil Pereg, 36, was mentally ill, in financial dire straits, and lived in squalor with dozens of cats.

Pereg was charged with murder on Friday after the remains of his mother, Pyrhia Sarusi, and her sister Dr. Lily Pereg, were found on his property in the city of Mendoza.

“He’s a real genius, he always was an excellent student, and got both his undergraduate and masters degrees from the Technion,” Moshe Pereg told reporters. But Gil’s behavior radically changed in 2006, he said. “I think he suffered a mental breakdown that went undiagnosed.”

After the breakdown, Moshe Pereg said his nephew turned to online gambling and ended up in significant debt. He left Israel for Argentina a short time later to escape his mounting financial problems.

He said Gil Pereg had little contact with his mother, though she continued to support him financially over the years. Despite the financial help, Moshe Pereg said Gil “lived like a homeless person” in a small house with dozens of cats.

“He owns lots of cats, and is very preoccupied with them. He cares about them more than himself.”

When he went to Mendoza while Argentinian authorities searched for his sisters on January 19, Moshe Pereg said he urged Gil to cooperate with local police in their investigation.

“I was trying to understand how he was living, and what exactly happened that Saturday,” he said. “Gil understood that he was the prime suspect in the investigation, but insisted that police had mistreated him.”

“I knew he was hiding something. Gil said he didn’t want to cooperate with police because they messed up his house. So I asked him: ‘What’s more important, your cats or your mother?'”

“He told me: ‘My cats are more important to me.'”

Moshe Pereg said his nephew failed to give him or the Argentine police investigators an acceptable explanation why his mother and aunt were seen on security camera footage entering his home but never leaving.

He called his nephew a “pathological liar and a psychopath.”

“My two sisters were women who only did good, they never hurt anyone,” Moshe Pereg said.

Sarusi and Pereg, 54, an associate professor of microbiology at the University of New England in Australia, were visiting Gil Pereg in Mendoza for the first time.

Reports in local media said Gil Pereg had set up several small companies in his mother’s name.

The women last communicated with families in Israel and Australia at 2:30 a.m. on January 11, and were last seen alive a day later on security camera footage entering Pereg’s home.

Pereg was arrested Friday after bloodstains were found on a shirt and bag of cement was located in his home. Officers also reportedly found four guns, as well as euros, dollars, and pesos totaling $80,000, and dozens of cats and dogs.

According to reports in Argentinian media, Pereg’s home did not have electricity, running water or a bedroom. Neighbors described him as a recluse.

On Saturday, Argentine police found Pereg and Sarusi’s bodies in a shallow grave at the back of of Gil Pereg’s property.

Prosecutor Claudia Rios said Gil Pereg had been charged with aggravated homicide in the death of his mother and simple homicide in that of his aunt, the Mendoza Post reported. Rios told reporters Saturday that after his arrest, Gil Pereg threatened to kill himself if he was not allowed to go home to feed his cats.

Pereg was sent for psychological evaluation due to concerns he may attempt to harm himself, and has been transferred to the Boulogne Sur Mer prison, according to the report.

Autopsy results released Sunday showed that at least one of the two victims had been shot and the other showed signs of physical violence. DNA evidence found at the scene was corroborated by footage showing three people going into Pereg’s home, but only one person leaving, Rios said.