Widow desperate for answers weighs private investigation
The Trumbull coroner suggested the lesser charges are a result of undisclosed evidence.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- Answers to questions on what led to the death of Kevin Elza in early November have not been forthcoming from anyone investigating the case, his wife says, so she's now talking to a private investigator.
Tracy Elza, Kevin Elza's widow, knows what her husband was doing before he went to the Golf Dome the evening of Nov. 5. She also remembers being called to the hospital to learn of her husband's death in the early hours of Nov. 6.
What she doesn't know, and no one will tell her, she says, is what happened in the parking lot of the Golf Dome that night that led to Kevin Elza's death.
"I don't know any more today than I did the day this happened," Tracy Elza said. "I have to get answers one way or another."
Police reports say that when Kevin Elza went to his car after leaving the dome, he found several men in his back seat. The men, including Elza, got out of the car, and a confrontation ensued.
Tracy Elza has heard through the grapevine that her husband threw a punch at one of the men and missed. The other man, she has heard, punched Elza, and he fell to the ground, then another man hit her husband two times while he was lying on the ground. That account, however, is not an official one from investigating officers, and no one will substantiate those claims.
Continuing investigation
Tracy Elza said she has been told by the Trumbull County prosecutor's office that some aspects of the investigation cannot be disclosed because the case is still open.
She said she has been discussing the situation with a private investigator and is considering hiring the investigator to look into what happened at the bar at the Golf Dome that night and what led to misdemeanor instead of felony charges, and she wants her husband's autopsy report to be reviewed by an independent person.
Two of the three men charged in Elza's death are free on $1,500 bond after pleading innocent to inciting to violence, a misdemeanor. Brian J. Charles, 21, of 1087 Park Ave., Girard, and David A. Riehl Jr., 19, of 855 Dravis Ave., Girard, are scheduled for preliminary hearings April 25 before Judge Andrew Logan.
The third man, Roberto B. Dubelt, 19, of 144 Morris Ave., Girard, is seeking a plea agreement after pleading guilty to assault, also a misdemeanor. He faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. He'll be sentenced by Judge Peter Kontos after a presentencing investigation.
Tracy Elza believes the reasoning behind the misdemeanor charges against those accused of beating her husband may be in the details she cannot seem to uncover. Some officials say Elza may be right, but they still cannot divulge all aspects of the case.
What's in report
A look at the report from the Mahoning County coroner's office shows that:
Kevin Elza'a blood alcohol level was at 0.17 when he died, but no drugs were in his system.
He died of blunt impact to the head, but the cause of the impact is not given.
He suffered multiple brain and soft tissue injuries.
Dr. Humphrey Germaniuk of the Trumbull County coroner's office, who reviewed the report, said unreleased aspects of the investigation may be the reason for charges that are less severe than the family would like.
"There are a lot of factors," he said. "There is a missing piece to the puzzle, and because it is an open investigation, the police cannot talk about it, the prosecutor cannot talk about it, and I cannot talk about it."
Whatever that "missing piece" might be, Girard Police Chief Frank Bigowsky has made it clear that nothing is missing from the investigation conducted by his department. Bigowsky said he is tired of the statements made against the department concerning the investigation.
"We were just getting beat up on the radio, and I took offense to that. We don't decide charges; that is up to the prosecutor's office," he said. "We have to live with the prosecutor's decision."
Living with the decision to charge the three men with misdemeanors is difficult for the family to do, Tracy Elza said.
"I just want justice, that's all," she said." I don't understand why they should get such a light slap on the wrist."