Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-01-21
Connors Trial Witness
SaysHe Heard PARKING
LOT Murder Shots

"A witness VINO SAID ne mao QearQ
the four shots that killed Edward
Barker and Pany Casbarian testi-
fed today in the District Court trial
of Raymond Connors, 32-year-old
automobile salesman of Yonkers, N.
Y, who is charged with the double
murder.
The witness was Mervin E. Beach,
a car dealer of 1913 Fourteenth
street N.W.-diagonally across the
street from the parking lot trailer
Office in which the bodies were
found. He fixed the time of the
shooting as "just as it was getting
dark and the street lights were
going on" He figured that to be
about ITO or tbs pm. under war
daylight saving time, which was in
effect on February %, 1915, the day
the murders occurred.
Il heard this bang, bang, bang,
bang business and I walked out on
the street." he said. There wasn't
an automobile or streetcar in sight.
I looked at the trailer. It was
Ozark. mat IN Itself was unusual.
Firing Was Rapid.
He said the firing was very rapid
and at first he thought it was back
fire in N street. He said he had
often seen Mr.. Barker, who carried
on an auto loan business across
the street, and that Mr.. Barker had
been in the habit of carrying a very
large roll OF money.
'I used to tell him how foolish
he was" the witness said.
He was preceded on the stand b.
Joseph Halebjian, an aged man VIII
lived with Mr.. Casbarian in tn
rooming house at 1910 Fourteenth
street NV, next to the parking lot
The old man said in broken Eng
lish that he and Mr.. Casbarian hat
had dinner about pm. on Febru
airy %. After dinner, Mr.. Gas.
barian went out at 6:55 pm. Will,
the witness was washing the dishes
he said. Looking out the kitchen
window, he saw Mr.. Casbarian pas.
the lighted trailer Office, turn bach
and go in, he said.
Lights in Trailer Out.
He said he looked out five or si1
minutes later and the lights in thu
trailer we're out. The Government
contends the murders occurred il
those few minutes.
Mr.. Halebjian said he had gone tc
bed and had been awakened at
O'Clock by "a lot of people" under
his window. 1t was at 9 o'clock thai
the bodies were discovered.
The court session started with 9
Commute huddle before the bench
At recess, both Charles B. Murray
assistant United States attorney, ane
James j. Laughlin, defense counsel
said they could not divulge what hae
been discussed.
Vinci Not in Court.
Joseph Vinci, who was indicted
with Connors on six counts charging
both with the two murders and with
robbery and who was arrested il
New Jersey Wednesday after Con
nors had been on trial for four days
was not brought to the COURTEOUS,
today from District Jail.
Vinci was closeted briefly will
Mr.. Murray FRIDAY after being ques
toned all day at police headquar
tiers. Mr.. Murray would not com
ment on reports that the man hal
confessed and was willing to tur,
States evidence.
Mr.. Barker, who conducted al
auto loan business in the trailer, ant
Mr.. Casbarian, proprietor of tn
rooming house next door who use,
to play pinochle with Mr.. Barker
were both shot twice through tn
head with bullets from an automati
pistol, after having been trussed Vi
with medical tape and strips from
blanket from a day bed in tn
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