MURDER TRIAL Witnesses describe shooting

The victim had never been in that bar before, and hadn't intended to go there.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Angela Loibl had never been to the T-N-T Bar before, and she didn't know LaTawon Townsend.
Witnesses say their paths crossed only briefly in the bar's cramped kitchen. When it was over, the 24-year-old Austintown woman lay dead on the floor as Townsend walked calmly through the bar and out the front door.
Townsend, 22, of South Garland Avenue, is on trial in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, charged with aggravated murder in Loibl's death. She was shot once in the face as she hid behind a cooler in the Steel Street bar.
Jamie Mullane, a friend of Loibl's, testified Friday that they didn't plan to go to the T-N-T the night of Jan. 11, 2002. They went to a bar in Warren, but couldn't get in. They came back to Youngstown and ended up in the T-N-T, a place they'd never been before.
Mullane and several other witnesses said there was a fight among some men on the dance floor. Townsend and his friend, Jose Rivera, got thrown out of the bar as a result.
Manager's testimony
Bar manager Tony Cuevas testified that before they left the parking lot, the two men threatened to come back and "light the place up." About 20 minutes later, Townsend and Rivera came back to the bar with guns. Cuevas said he tried to stop them at the door, but Rivera pushed him to the floor.
Rivera, who also was charged with aggravated murder but pleaded guilty to a reduced charge 18 months ago, testified that he never went back inside the bar. He said Townsend walked in first with his gun in his hand, causing a crowd of people to rush out and pushing Rivera backward.
But Cuevas and other witnesses said both men were inside, armed with guns with laser sights.
Sisters Jessica and Jennifer Scarsella were in the bar that night, and each said they saw Townsend walk into the kitchen, where Loibl had run to hide. They heard a gunshot, then watched Townsend walking through the bar saying, "East Side up."
Witness to shooting
Rosemarie Kiraly, who is Cuevas' mother, said she was standing near the kitchen and saw a gunman follow Loibl into the kitchen, raise his gun, curse at her and shoot her at point-blank range, then walk away. She could not identify Townsend as the shooter, but other witnesses did.
Kiraly said she ran to Loibl's side as soon as the shooter left.
"I felt a pulse. She was just gasping for air," Kiraly said.
Assistant Prosecutor Jay Macejko said he expects to call 13 to 15 witnesses to testify before the jury of three men and nine women. He will finish his case Monday, after which defense attorney Thomas Zena will begin calling witnesses in the courtroom of Judge James C. Evans.
bjackson@vindy.com