Rolling Meadows murder witness recalls ‘night of terror’

A witness to the death of Marquis Lovings recounted what prosecutors called “a night of terror” during the third day of Patrick Taylor’s trial for the 2006 shooting.

Armando Vera was with Lovings and some other friends at Lovings’ Rolling Meadows condominium on Aug. 19, 2006, when prosecutors say Taylor and another man entered the condo brandishing guns and striking several of the men, robbed them, and shot Lovings several times when he was unable to open a safe.

Vera was one of the last people to see Lovings, a 30-year-old rap music producer and performer, alive.

The animated Vera recounted in harrowing detail the attack that occurred shortly after he, Lovings and two other people arrived at Lovings’ home. Vera testified that Lovings was in his bedroom when Taylor, wearing an orange track suit, and another man burst through the partly open door armed with handguns containing 10” clips.

“He said, ‘get the (expletive) on the floor. This is a robbery. This is real,’” said Vera in a loud voice.

Taylor threatened to kill them and ordered them to lay face down on the living room floor, Vera said. While the other man held his gun on them Taylor kicked open the door to Lovings’ bedroom, Vera said. That was followed by a loud crack, he said.

“You knew that he (Lovings) had been struck,” Vera said.

Taylor returned to the living room pointing a gun at Lovings’ head, Vera said. After that, Vera testified, he heard a knock at the door and saw Taylor pull Kevin Gholston and Veljko “Charles” Vjelica into the room, while striking Vjelica in the head with the gun.

Taylor threatened to kill Vjelica’s then-girlfriend if Lovings did not open the safe, Vera said.

Insisting the safe belonged to his roommate, Lovings begged for his life, Vera said.

Two loud shots rang out, “boom, boom,” and the intruders fled, said Vera, recounting that he ran into the hall screaming for help.

He testified that he identified Taylor as the shooter in a police photo lineup several days later. In August 2007, after police had Taylor in custody, Vera again identified him as the gunman in a live lineup.

“As soon as I walked into the room, within seconds, I knew it was him,” Vera said.

Tense moments occurred in the courtroom gallery when Donald Moore, Lovings’ brother, claimed that Taylor made gestures and comments to him several times during Thursday’s proceedings.

However, Taylor’s attorney, Cook County Assistant Public Defender Jim Mullenix, said he observed no such exchange and that if anything improper happened, the sheriff’s deputies would have handled it.

Testimony continues Friday in Rolling Meadows.