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Legal Brief Cheetham, Cheetham, and Chargem Attorneys at Law
Larry Evanzo Murder Trial Testimony and Overview
Larry Evanzo is on trial for the murder of his father, Mike Evanzo. Detective Luke Swagger and other officers gathered the testimony below while investigating the case.
Defendant - Larry Evanzo
Background: At fifteen Larry spent two years in reform school for stealing a car. Since then, (he is now 19) Larry has been arrested twice for knife fighting, and once on suspicion of armed robbery. He is an unemployed high school drop-out.
Testimony: Larry admits leaving his house at about eight o'clock on November 10 after being punched by his father during an argument. Larry claims he went to a neighborhood store, bought some candy and decided to pick up a knife as a gift for Barb Jaffee, a friend who wanted a weapon for protection. According to Larry, some time after leaving the store, the knife fell through a hole in his pocket. Larry never saw it again.
Larry spent the next few hours playing pool at Bingo's Pool hall. He left the pool hall at about 11:30 and stopped at the all-night coin-operated laundry to have a coke and a cigarette before going home. He was at the laundry at 12:45 when he was picked up by police. Larry said he would often spend long hours at the laundry when he had things to think about.
Witness #1 - Mr. Leon Velving
Background: Mr. Velving, a 78 year-old retiree, lives alone on the second floor of the West Side Apartments in apartment 201. His room is located directly beneath the scene of the murder.
Mr. Velving is a quiet man who has accomplished little in his life. He wears old, torn clothes, and walks slowly with the use of a cane. He seems to enjoy the attention the trial has brought him.
Testimony: At sometime near midnight on the evening of the murder, Mr. Velving heard loud noises in the upstairs apartment. He told investigators that it sounded like a fight. After several minutes of this disturbance, he heard a voice he believed to be that of Larry Evanzo say to his father, "I'm going to kill you." A second later, Mr. Velving heard a loud thud - like a body falling. Mr. Velving then ran to the door of his apartment and looked out. He saw a young man who appeared to be Larry Evanzo running down the stairs and out of the house. Mr. Velving noted that it was only seconds after the body hit the floor when Larry made his exit. Mr. Velving didn't recall exactly what time this took place.
Witness #2 - Mrs. Velma Worgal
Background: Mrs. Worgal is a 45 year old widow. Her health is excellent, although she wears glasses. Her late husband left her a small, but adequate, amount of money to live on. Mrs. Worgal lives in a ground level apartment directly across the railroad tracks from the scene of the crime. She has known Larry Evanzo all his life.
Testimony: Mrs. Worgal went to bed at about eleven o'clock the night of the murder. Her bed was next to an open window from which she could see into the Evanzo living room in the apartment across the tracks. After tossing and turning for over an hour, unable to sleep, Mrs. Worgal finally turned toward her open window at approximately 12:10. Through the windows of a passing "el" train, she saw Larry Evanzo stab his father.
Witness #3 - Milo (Sugardaddy) Chase
Background: Mr. Chase is an unemployed 20 year-old who lives off a small inheritance from his grandfather. From time to time Milo does odd jobs. Although he has been arrested a few times for being drunk and disorderly, he has never committed a major crime.
Testimony: Mr. Chase, who lives in apartment 302 across the hall from the murder scene, heard an argument between Larry Evanzo and his father around eight o'clock. He heard the father hit the boy twice. Then, as he opened the door, he saw the boy leave the house and heard the father swearing. Milo admits that he was drinking the night of the crime, but claims he was not too drunk to know what time it was and to see and hear what happened. Mr. Chase has known Larry and his father for four years.
Witness #4 - Mrs. Lena Bunski
Background: Mrs. Bunski has been a storekeeper for twenty years. She sells a wide variety of items ranging from tennis shoes to milk. At age 40, Mrs. Bunski is in excellent health.
Testimony: On November 10, the day of the murder, at approximately eight thirty in the evening, Mrs. Bunski sold a "Kensing Long Blade" knife to Larry Evanzo. She said that this knife was the only one of its kind in the store.
Witness #5 - Detective Luke Swagger
Background: Mr. Swaggar has served on the city's homicide division for 15 years. He was in charge of the Evanzo Murder Case from the very beginning.
Testimony: At approximately 12:15 on November 10, Mr. Swagger received a telephone call from a Mr. Velving of the West Side Apartments. Mr. Velving described what he suspected as a possible homicide.
Arriving on the scene at approximately 12:25, he discovered, in apartment 301, the body of Mike Evanzo with a "Kensing Long Blade" knife stuck in his chest. Mr. Mike Evanzo was pronounced "dead on arrival" at City Memorial Hospital.
After interviewing several of the neighbors, Mr. Swaggar put out an all-points bulletin for the arrest of Larry Evanzo. Other bits of evidence that Mr. Swaggar's investigation uncovered included the following:
A. The knife contained no fingerprints. B. Mike Evanzo was stabbed at a downward angle. C. After running several simulated tests, police tests proved that Mr. Worgal could \ have looked through the windows of a passing "el" train at night and witnessed the events in the Evanzo apartment. D. The Evanzo apartment was disorganized - as though a struggle had taken place.
Witness #6 - Reverend Amos Whimsley
Background: Reverend Whimsley has worked with youth programs in the city for ten years. On a number of occasions he has counseled Larry Evanzo when Larry has been in trouble. He has known Larry and his father for several years in a professional relationship.
Testimony: Reverend Whimsley doesn't believe Larry is capable of murder. From the many conferences he has had with Larry, the Reverend recalls instances when Larry expressed affection for his father, although he also remembers what he describes as "typical father-son" conflicts that occurred between the two.
Witness #7 - Barb Jaffee
Background: Seventeen-year-old Barb Jaffee years has dated Larry off and on for a number of years, although recently they haven't seen much of each other. In high school, Barb was twice expelled for vandalism (destroying school property) and once arrested at a nearby mall for stealing.
Testimony: Barb thinks she saw Larry in the laundry the night of the murder shortly after midnight. She was driving home at the time, honked the horn of her car and waved, but Larry didn't respond. She explained to investigators that Larry often liked to go to the laundry to relax and think.
When asked about the knife, Barb said that she thought Larry may have been buying it for her. She explained that she didn't feel safe working at the late shift at Eddie's Dinner and mentioned to Larry that she wished she had a weapon. Larry, however, never told her that he was going to get something for her. Yet, Larry often did things for her without telling her.
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