FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Allen County prosecutors put two key witnesses on the stand Wednesday they believe link Torrese Bobo to a homicide committed around the corner from his mother’s home.
The mother, Ayunna Jackson, is an integral part of the case and was presented as the one who reportedly incited her sons, Tony Jackson and Bobo, to get even with the victim after an altercation inside a club, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The victim, Daniel Nolan, was killed May 2, 2021 around 5:53 a.m. as he slept in his white Mercedes-Benz outside his home in the 3500 block of Hanna Street, across from the Marathon gas station.
Crime scene detectives found 16 9mm shell casings on the passenger side of Nolan’s vehicle, 16 bullets that caused 21 bullet wounds, according to Dr. Kent Harshbarger, the forensic pathologist who testified Tuesday.
During homicide detective Luke MacDonald’s testimony, several videos were played that showed two men walking down an alley off Monroe Street and arriving at the gas station at Hanna and Oxford streets. Subsequent gunshots are heard and then the pair run back to jump into a light colored Saturn Vue, driven by a girlfriend of Jackson’s.
The video isn’t clear enough to identify the two men, but Jackson’s girlfriend said Jackson and someone named “Bo” used her to get a ride before the killing occurred. WANE 15 has agreed not to name her for safety reasons.
Bobo was charged with murder, but he’s not the only one. His brother, Tony Jackson, faces a jury on the same charge in February.
Another video played in court featured the voice of Ayunna Jackson using a stream of curse words to supposedly calm her son down. Tony was infuriated, issuing statements like “on my mama imma apply pressure,” and allegedly ready to go after Nolan, known in the neighborhood as “Nolo.”
Ayunna and several of her family members have attended the trial and sat toward the front, sitting in steadfast support of Bobo. Jackson is locked up at the Allen County Jail.
Jackson’s girlfriend, who owned the Saturn Vue, testified that she followed Jackson and Bobo down a neighborhood street as they walked and then waited for them, thinking they were on the hunt for marijuana. Instead, police and prosecutors say they were reportedly out to kill Nolan.
Pearson was a “close homie” of Nolan’s who ran around with wads of cash. The night he was killed, police found $1,500 in his jeans pockets, a crime scene technician testified.
That night, Nolan and Pearson were at their favorite barbershop at Lafayette Street and McKinnie Avenue, a hangout for their friends. Around 10 p.m., they decided to head to Club 44, a strip club on Coldwater Road across from Glenbrook Square.
When the two got to the club, Nolan told Pearson to watch out for certain people because they’d robbed him, Pearson said. One of those people was Bobo.
Surveillance video from inside the club shown in court Tuesday shows Nolan, Pearson, Bobo and others arguing as they jostle around the well-lit stage where dancers are performing. Nothing violent breaks out under the stage lights and Pearson tried to minimize any negative interactions, although they are evident. Tony Jackson wasn’t there because he was dee-jaying at the 19th Hole, another club, police say.
Pearson said he was close enough to Nolan and that Nolan “wanted him to go with him that night,” he said. “He trusted me.” There was never any evidence police found that Nolan was mixed up in drugs.
On the stand, Pearson downplayed any argument and as he walked out of court in front of the gallery, he appeared to exchange a meaningful look with members of Bobo’s family.
On the stand, Jackson’s girlfriend spoke of threats, testifying that one of Jackson’s sisters sent her a threatening text. She also was aware that Ayunna was in the gallery. It wasn’t just the family who threatened but people she couldn’t even name, she said.
Defense attorney Robert Scremin said her testimony doesn’t hold up because she didn’t pick Bobo out of a lineup, but she said someone she knew as “Bo, got into her Saturn along with Jackson.
There is no DNA to link Bobo to the crime and there are no guns, even though 9mm guns were used to kill Nolan.
The trial continues Thursday when it’s expected to wrap up.
