게이바 The Barn Story...

The Barn Story   2008년 2월 20일

이 기사는 토론토에서 가장 사랑받던 게이바인 "The Barn" 의 주인과 그의 파트너쿠바인에 대한내용이다. 게이바 주인의 살인 용의자로 떠오른 그의 파트너..... 불행하게도 살인사건으로 문을 닫은지 몇해만에, 2007년 크리스마스 직전에 다시 오픈을 해서 이제 다시 사랑받는 게이바로 운영되고 있지만.....지금 법정에서는 이 살인자에 대한 법적판결이 진행되고 있다. Accused cheated on lover with wife Feb 13, 2008 04:30 AM Rosie DiManno  The video camera is giving us a guided tour of murder. Could be a real estate virtual tour for interested buyers ... but for the victim, his heels just at the edge of the frame cluttering up an otherwise pristine and well-appointed tableau. Here we have the vestibule – mind the corpse – nicely catching natural sunlight through the front door's glass panels. Up the stairs, grab onto purple velvet swag handrails, and into the master bedroom with its four-poster bed, ornately framed paintings, a large double closet with sliding mirror doors. Go down the steps, into the basement, and we have an exercise machine centred on a Persian rug, wine cooler against one wall, a gun safe for storage of firearms tucked against the other, and cases containing compound bows used in archery, a sport for aesthetes, or absurd social-climbers. In the solarium, a lush plant dips fronds almost into the hot tub. Atop a standing safe is a stuffed teddy bear. Everywhere there are mirrors and porcelain and artwork, glittery things, possessions of a man with perhaps more money than instinctive taste. Deco Liberace, as one observer snidely noted. In his professional life, Janko Naglic may have owned and operated one of the most hard-fisted gay clubs in Toronto, The Barn and the Stables, but at home he was a man of earnest refinement. NoBrokeback Mountain rough stuff here, the posh Balliol St. address he shared for many years with his lover, Ivan Mendez-Romero. Mendez-Romero is accused of killing Naglic, 56, on Oct. 26, 2004. His first-degree murder trial opened yesterday with the Crown, Ann Morgan, breezing through a rapid-clip overview of the case to be presented. "I'm going to kill you, Slavic bastard.'' That is the threat, according to the Crown, that Mendez-Romero had made and which a worried Naglic repeated to several friends, expressing his fear of going home. He'd ordered Mendez-Romero to vacate the premises and there'd been a heated argument. "Ivan wants all his money and half the club,'' Morgan told court. A native of Cuba, Mendez-Romero, now 39, had worked at The Barn since meeting Naglic 11 years earlier. "This is a rags-to-riches story about Mr. Mendez-Romero and how he escaped a life of poverty in Cuba to find himself a partner to the wealthy Mr. Naglic, living in his home, employed in his bar, enjoying Mr. Naglic's Florida condos and ultimately a yacht.'' Seven months prior to the murder, court heard, Mendez-Romero had entered into a "marriage of convenience'' with a woman from Slovenia whose parents were long-time acquaintances of Naglic. This union appears to have been orchestrated by Naglic, although those details have yet to be divulged. But Mendez-Romero, in the Crown's scenario, took his vows a little too literally. He was cuckolding his lover with his wife, which a distraught Naglic discovered when he found the couple in a Minden, ont., motel room. After the ensuing confrontation, according to the Crown's opening statement, Mendez-Romero called Naglic in a huff: "Now you have done it. Now you are going to pay. ... I am going to ruin you. I am going to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission, I'm going to the tax department and when I finished everything, I'm going to hire someone to kill you.'' And that's when Naglic allegedly decided to "end it,'' scheduling an appointment with his lawyer, apparently to legally disentangle himself from a relationship with common-law complications. But somebody killed him first. Naglic's body was found sprawled on the stairs, headfirst and facedown, duct tape wrapped around his mouth and one hand. Cause of death was asphyxiation. He was wearing a red sweater, black trousers and cowboy boots. Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Victim `always forgave' accused Email story') Two men lived as happy couple, friend testifies at first-degree murder trial Feb 16, 2008 04:30 AM Betsy Powell COURTS BUREAU Janko Naglic was immediately smitten with Ivan Mendez-Romero after meeting him on a beach in Varadero, Cuba, while Naglic was on vacation in 1994. "That was how the relationship started," Naglic's friend of 40 years, Josip Zemljak, testified yesterday at the first-degree murder trial of Mendez-Romero, who is accused of killing Naglic. Naglic, 58, an icon in Toronto's gay community, was found dead in his Balliol St. home on Oct. 27, 2004. An autopsy showed he had died of asphyxiation. After the 1994 trip Naglic returned to Toronto but over the next year, the owner of the popular Church St. bar, the Barn, returned to Cuba several times to woo Mendez-Romero. once, when Zemljak was in tow, they visited some of Mendez-Romero's family. They lived in a structure "just like a shack," which led Zemljak to conclude they were "very poor." With same-sex spousal sponsorship still several years away, Naglic arranged for the Cuban to marry a woman so he could live in Canada. Mendez-Romero moved into Naglic's home, near Mt. Pleasant Rd., and the two lived and worked together as a happy couple, with Naglic tolerating Mendez-Romero's infidelities with women, Zemljak testified. "Janko always forgave him," Zemljak told the jury as the trial ended its first week. Zemljak later agreed with defence lawyer Laurence Cohen that Mendez-Romero, who is now 39, was also a "compassionate" companion who looked after Naglic. But Zemljak testified that in April 2004 Naglic told him that a month earlier he'd found Mendez-Romero had secretly married another woman. His previous marriage had dissolved after three years. This time it was more complicated. She was a woman from Belgrade who was also the stepdaughter of one of Naglic's friends. Naglic had initially given his blessing to Mendez-Romero to marry her so she could stay in the country, he said. What was supposed to be Mendez-Romero's second marriage of convenience appeared to Naglic to be a deep betrayal. "He thought it was more than just a casual relationship," said Zemljak. And that changed everything. "He did not like it. How can you be in love with two people at the same time?" Zemljak said he told Naglic to make Mendez-Romero choose between Naglic and the new wife. Zemljak testified he did not see a lot of Naglic in the last 12 months of his life but said the two spoke frequently on the telephone. Those conversations included Naglic expressing growing jealousy and deepening concern that he was losing Mendez-Romero, although under Cohen's questioning Zemljak agreed he was only hearing Naglic's one-sided perspective." In September 2004, Naglic told Zemljak he drove to a Minden, ont., motel to check if Mendez-Romero was on a hunting trip. When Naglic instead found him with his wife, there was a confrontation. Zemljak said Naglic told him Mendez-Romero threatened to kill him during the row. Still, Zemljak testified Naglic wasn't afraid of him. Three days before he died, Zemljak said Naglic told him Mendez-Romero was "dismissed" from his duties at The Barn. Naglic reported Mendez-Romero had again threatened to kill him But under questioning from Cohen, Zemljak, just before stepping off the witness stand, said: "Janko did love Ivan almost to the end." Justice Gladys Pardu is presiding over the trial that resumes Tuesday. Many lives of cheating lover Married man on trial for killing boyfriend rewrote the rules of commitment, romance Feb 20, 2008 04:30 AM Rosie DiManno  COLUMNIST The old queen, nicely tanned and tastefully dressed, is explaining from the witness stand that, yes, the world has changed a great deal in his lifetime. Even, and perhaps especially so, in the flamboyant gay universe that he inhabited before retirement as an upstanding banker. "Queen" is a ubiquitous term in gay lexicon and I don't think it would offend Barrie Martin. But "bitch" – that still rankles. The 63-year-old was recalling a brief exchange he'd had with Ivan Mendez-Romero just days before a long-time friend – and 13-year intimate partner of Mendez-Romero – was found asphyxiated in his Balliol St. home in October 2004. Mendez-Romero is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Janko Naglic, 56, owner of The Barn, a lively gay club on Church St. Martin had come upon Mendez-Romero unloading beer cases outside the establishment and asked about Naglic's whereabouts. "He's inside," Martin told court yesterday that Mendez-Romero had replied. "The bitch is not dead yet." Martin didn't repeat that conversation to Naglic. On an earlier occasion, Martin had told Naglic he'd overheard Mendez-Romero was "not faithful," which caused so much trouble that he resolved never to broach the subject again. Under cross-examination by Laurence Cohen, Martin observed that "bitch" was a descriptor usually appended to women and was disapproving of its pejorative application to gay men. "Frankly, in the social circles I travel in, it's not a word used frequently." While all domestic murders – as this one was alleged to have been – expose the private details of people's lives, this trial, now in its second week, is providing an interesting glimpse into the particular dramas and challenges experienced by some gay couples, especially when there is in imbalance of commitment and a disregard for conventional rules of romance. It's not clear if Mendez-Romero was gay or bisexual or just an opportunistic Cuban cabana boy who turned Naglic's head when they met in Varadero. A year later, Mendez-Romero was living in Toronto, cohabiting with Naglic and working at The Barn. Naglic orchestrated a "marriage of convenience" so that Mendez-Romero, 20 years his junior, could stay in Canada. That union was dissolved and, at the time of Naglic's death, Mendez-Romero had entered into another purportedly arranged marriage with a woman his lover appears to have tolerated, grudgingly, until realizing Mendez-Romero was sleeping with her. Naglic discovered the couple in a motel room and was devastated by the betrayal. A heated argument ensued and Naglic said he wanted Mendez-Romero out of his house, out of his bar, out of his life. "He said his life was ruined," Martin testified. "He was very upset that Ivan had threatened his life." Naglic told him, Martin said, that Mendez-Romero had demanded half of everything Naglic owned, including a Miami condo and million-dollar yacht. In another a distraught conversation, with his lawyer, Naglic repeated that Mendez-Romero made a threat, had accused him of "spoiling" everything, and warned Naglic not to tell the woman's family about their relationship. "He said Ivan had called him on his cellphone and said, `I'm going to get someone to shoot you,'" Andrew Czernik told court. He then asked Czernik to be his executor. "He indicated that he wanted to be sure that I'd be tough on Ivan." Czernik described how the relationship between Naglic and Mendez-Romero had deteriorated after the second vows. "Janko thought it was a marriage to assist the woman get status in Canada. Janko loved Ivan. They had an unusual relationship. I don't think Janko really took objection with Ivan fooling around a little bit as long as he came home to Janko. Janko was afraid to be alone." But Naglic was crushed upon realizing Mendez-Romero was "having an affair with his wife," Czernik continued. Clearly unable to keep his distress to himself, Naglic also complained about Mendez-Romero's behaviour to his neighbour, kindergarten teacher Jill Flynn. She testified yesterday that Naglic feared Mendez-Romero's affections had waned, even before he tailed the couple to a motel room. "He said all summer long, `Ivan has not been having sex with me, not hugging me, not kissing me. He's with his wife.'" Naglic claimed Mendez-Romero had threatened his life after the motel episode. Flynn quoted Naglic quoting Mendez-Romero: "I promise, if you go near her or any member of her family, I will kill you or have a member of the gang kill you." The heavily tattooed Mendez-Romero was an avid motorcyclist but there's no evidence he ever belonged to a biker gang. Yet even after the motel shocker, Naglic allowed Mendez-Romero to stay in his house. Flynn said he told her: "Ivan is out of his mind. He wants me to sign over half of my Canadian assets and he will stay with me because he's incapable of love. "He does not love that girl. He does not love me. But he'll stay with me because we've been together for 13 years."Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Gay lover leaves court a free man Mar 05, 2008 04:30 AM ROSIE DIMANNO Janko Naglic arrived in Canada with 50 bucks in his pockets and an immigrant's dreams. That is, if the immigrant dreams about opening up a gay bar on Church St. where the party never stops, the bodies are slick with sweat, and the alleged liquor violations a constant headache. Yet Naglic, self-made entrepreneur, was by all outward measurement a huge success. There was money, there was gaiety; there was a downtown club and an uptown house; there was a yacht and a condo in Florida. There was respect in the community, if purported badgering from police and licensing officials. And there was a lover, two decades younger, plucked from impoverished circumstances in Cuba, enriched by all that Naglic's money could buy, as well as something even more precious, most might say – the love of a good man. It was a love that accepted, or at least tolerated, infidelities – the occasional sleep-about – of an inconstant partner, so long as that partner ultimately came home, to the house they'd shared, as man and man, for 13 years, a thoroughly legitimate and legally binding common-law relationship: Right through Marriage of Convenience No. 1 and Marriage of Maybe-Convenience No. 2, although the latter appears to have been well and truly consummated and meant something considerably more to its participants. Late last night, a Toronto jury – after deliberating only about four hours – returned a verdict of not guilty on a first-degree murder charge against 41-year-old Ivan Mendez-Romero. He did not take the stand in his own defence; not required to do so and no inference could be drawn. His lawyer, Laurence Cohen, called no witnesses. Presumably, the defence reckoned that the Crown made their case for them – or failed to mount much of a case against them. "In all the years, I've never seen a faster verdict,'' said Cohen. "I'm relieved.'' There was no forensic evidence to incriminate Mendez-Romero. There were no witnesses to the slaying, Naglic found – by Mendez-Romero – sprawled on the stairs of their Balliol St. home on Oct. 27, 2004, duct tape wrapped around his mouth and neck. Cause of death: Asphyxiation. He appears not to have put up much of a struggle, given the minor injuries documented, but a large bruise to the head consistent with blunt force trauma could have caused a loss of consciousness. Investigators found no sign of forced entry. The victim had $800 in his wallet and some jewellery on his person. A month earlier, acting on suspicions of a lover betraying him with a wife, Naglic had trailed Mendez-Romero to a motel room, after which all hell had broken loose, with heated grievances on both sides. Naglic subsequently told friends that Mendez-Romero had threatened him, demanded half of all his assets, and warned Naglic not to reveal their relationship to the woman's family – which Naglic promptly did anyway. This case was nearly all about what Naglic told others in the weeks leading up to his murder. The man, a drama queen, could not stop talking about it, which is understandable, although impossible for any of those claims – including the alleged threat – to be corroborated afterwards. It's gossip. Or, in courtroom parlance, it was hearsay. But it was allowed in by Justice Gladys Pardu, with the jury left to make heads or tails out of who-said-what and who-done-what. Innuendo, speculation and conjecture, sniffed Cohen, in his closing submission. A circumstantial case, countered Crown Attorney Ann Morgan, but a strong one, with "overwhelming evidence of motive''. After the verdict, Mendez-Romero got into a BMW and left the courthouse a free man. The dream, at least of love-ever-after, died before the dreamer did. Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.