Joshua Ward sat back in the witness box Wednesday and described what motivated the idea to rob someone on a May night in 2011 in Aurora.
“Because we were gonna need money for the rest of the night,” Ward said, mentioning “beer and stuff” as part of the evening’s festivities.
The robbery plan was hatched by his brother Jason, Joshua Ward said, but Luis Lomeli “was all in agreement” as the trio and Lomeli’s then-girlfriend drove to Aurora on May 1, 2011.
Wednesday marked the third day of Lomeli’s trial in Kane County Court on attempted murder, armed robbery and aggravated battery charges in connection to the stabbing of a Bolingbrook man outside La Villita Liquors in Aurora. Joshua Ward, as part of an agreement with prosecutors, took the stand to tell jurors about the attack that left Rolando Perez severely wounded.
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Over the course of about an hour, 35-year-old Ward testified he called the mother of his son to exchange vehicles so that the group would not be driving a “hot” car after committing a robbery. He said Lomeli came up with the idea to have his then-girlfriend Sylvia Enriquez, who testified against Lomeli on Tuesday, try to lure a man out of La Villita’s bar to a hotel where a robbery would take place.
They parked the borrowed Ford Escape SUV in the Burger King lot adjacent to La Villita just after 10:30 p.m. and kept the engine running as Jason Ward and Lomeli went into the liquor store to purchase a 12-pack of beer. When they returned, Enriquez went inside and the men started drinking. Lomeli then exited the SUV and approached Perez, with Jason Ward soon to follow, Joshua Ward said.
“A guy got robbed and stabbed in the parking lot a few cars down,” Joshua Ward summarized of what happened next.
He went into greater detail by explaining Perez was in the driver’s seat of his truck with Jason Ward in the passenger seat and Lomeli behind Perez in the back seat. Joshua Ward said he was “blocking” Perez’s way as he tried to get out of the truck.
Lomeli “was holding the guy from behind” and Jason Ward “stabbed the guy” in the back, Joshua Ward explained. He estimated Jason stabbed Perez 10 to 15 times with a knife he provided his brother the previous day.
“I grabbed the money … ran back to the car. One of the hundred dollar bills had blood on it,” Joshua Ward said, adding that from a distance he saw (Perez) “got out of the vehicle and tried to get to the liquor store.”
Before Perez could do so, Lomeli grabbed him and Jason Ward stabbed Perez again, Joshua Ward said. Lomeli jumped into the Escape on the passenger side and climbed over to the driver’s seat before they drove to Lomeli’s aunt’s house nearby, Ward said. A bar patron found Perez face down just outside the bar’s entrance. A paramedic testified Tuesday that Perez had at least 15 stab wounds. Earlier Wednesday, an Aurora police evidence technician said Perez’s sport jacket had a total of 13 cuts in the back and shoulder area.
Joshua Ward went on to describe several other details, including how Lomeli’s hand was cut by Jason Ward while holding Perez during the attack, another vehicle swap and a stop to buy cocaine in Aurora. He also explained what happened at the Montgomery home of Enriquez’s ex-boyfriend where Lomeli and the Ward brothers rushed the house after Enriquez got the man to open his front door to ask him for money.
The Wards, Lomeli and Enriquez eventually ended up at a hotel near Interstate 88 and Farnsworth Avenue when Joshua Ward said he called someone to pick him up.
“Enough was enough. I got to go,” he said of his reason for leaving.
Joshua Ward was arrested by U.S. Marshals a week after the stabbing. During cross-examination, Lomeli attorney Ron Haskell challenged Joshua Ward’s recollection of things that happened after doing cocaine and drinking about 12 beers over the course of the night.
“You sure you remember who made plans?” Haskell asked, suggesting Ward might have been drunk that night.
“Yes,” Ward replied, latter adding, “I drink a lot. I got high tolerance.”
Joshua Ward’s deal with prosecutors for his testimony will earn him 12 years in prison, something Haskell called “not a bad deal,” and Ward concurred.
The Ward brothers and Lomeli are all currently serving lengthy prison sentences related to a LaSalle County murder which authorities said was part of the crime spree that began with the Aurora stabbing. Jason Ward, who previously pleaded guilty in the Aurora case and received a 15-year sentence consecutive to his current time in the murder case, is expected to testify for the defense on Thursday.
Dan Campana is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News