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Tuesday hearing will address records in Jacob Larosa murder case
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
One judge will handle the juvenile-court case involving Jacob Larosa of Niles and the public- records matter involving his aggravated-murder charge.
The Trumbull County Family Court said Judge Sandra Stabile Harwood will conduct a hearing at 10 a.m. Tuesday on evidence related to whether filings in the case so far, and in the future, will be open to the public.
She also will preside over a hearing two days later, at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, to determine whether there is probable cause for the case to move forward.
Both hearings are expected to be open to the public.
Atty. Rob Kokor, representing Larosa on charges of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and attempted rape in the March 31 death of Marie Belcastro, 94, of Cherry Street, Niles, asked the court to keep filings in the case closed to the public.
The Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office opposes the motion, as does an attorney representing The Vindicator and 21 WFMJ-TV. Other news media also have asked for documents from the Larosa file to be opened to the public.
Kokor’s motion does not ask that hearings in the case be closed to the public, and two previous hearings have not been closed, though the media have honored Kokor’s request that Larosa’s face not be photographed or videtaped.
The court said Tuesday’s hearing on whether to open the records will be handled by Judge Stabile Harwood instead of fellow Family Court Judge Pamela Rintala, who had intended to handle it.
Both Kokor and the prosecutor’s office opposed having Judge Rintala take that part of the case, saying it would be better for the same judge to handle everything.
If Judge Stabile Harwood rules that there is probable cause for the case against Larosa to continue, she will schedule another hearing later to hear evidence as to whether Larosa’s case should be transferred to the adult-level common pleas court, as Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins has requested.
Belcastro was found dead from a beating in her home about the same time police and ambulance personnel were called to Larosa’s house nearby on Lafayette Street, Niles, because Larosa was vomiting and had blood on his hands and underwear.