Kearny man killed inside his jewelry store was shot in head, doctor says - NJ.com
JERSEY CITY -- The first day of testimony continued in a Bloomfield man's murder trial today with a medical examiner describing the grisly bullet wounds that claimed the life of a Kearny jewelry store owner during a fatal robbery in 2009.
John DeRosa, 58, of Bloomfield, is being tried for allegedly murdering Xavier Egoavil, 47, of Kearny, on Aug. 18, 2009 in the victim's Rachel Jewelers on Kearny Avenue as his horrified mother watched.
Assistant Medical Examiner Dr. Eddy Lilavois testified that one bullet struck Egoavil in the forehead and exited the back of his skull. A second bullet enter the victim's back and exited through his left chest.
While Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Leo Rinaldi displayed autopsy pictures, Lilavois' said Egoavil had a grazing bullet wound to his chest, an abrasion on his forehead, and wound from a final bullet that entered the midsection of his inner right thigh and was removed from his leg during the autopsy.
Testimony began this morning with Egoavil's mother, Sylvia Egoavil, on the stand describing the robbery and seeing her son shot dead. But the mother was not asked to point out the gunman in court today, nor was a woman who said she saw two men running away, one carrying a gun.
At the end of testimony this afternoon, Rinaldi said the state will call one of DeRosa's co-defendants to the stand tomorrow to testifying against him.
The accused getaway driver, Elvis Feratovic, 30, of Bloomfield, was charged with felony murder, but pleaded guilty to robbery and will testify against DeRosa tomorrow. Edmir Sokoli, 29, of Bloomfield, was also charged with felony murder and pleaded guilty to robbery. He, too agreed to testify against DeRosa.
During his opening statement this morning, attorney Scott Finkenauer spoke of DeRosa's co-defendants saying "There is no direct evidence, no physical evidence to show John DeRosa had anything to do with this other than the testimony of these people... I submit to you that the two defendants lied (to police) at some point in time. Does that mean they will lie when they 'testify?' You are going to have to decide."
For his part, Rinaldi told jurors the evidence they will see will paint a clear picture showing DeRosa was the trigger man.
Egoavil was survived by his wife, Gina, and two children: A son who was 10 years old at the time and a daughter who was 6.
The trial will resume tomorrow morning before Hudson County Superior Court Judge Patrick Arre in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. DeRosa faces up to life in prison if convicted.
It's taken years for the trial to begin, primarily because turnover on DeRosa's defense team. Now on his fifth attorney, DeRosa said he was contemplating representing himself due during a pretrial hearing in November. The judge noted that he did not cooperate with his first attorney and did not get along with his second attorney. The judge said DeRosa's third attorney was overwhelmed at his practice and had to give up the case, while his fourth lawyer became a judge.
