By Liz Adkins
InkFreeNews

Daniel Romero

WARSAW — Three witnesses testified in the first day of a jury trial for a Warsaw man accused of shooting a person who was airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital for their injuries.

Daniel Romero, 41, 1861 N. Vicky Lane, Warsaw, is charged with burglary resulting in serious bodily injury, a level 1 felony; and burglary with a deadly weapon, a level 2 felony.

In the state of Indiana, a Level 1 felony is punishable by 20 to 40 years in prison, with an advisory sentence of 30 years.

The state’s case is being presented by Deputy Prosecutor Joseph Sobek. Romero’s legal counsel is Nikos Nakos, Fort Wayne.

There are a total of 14 jurors, including eight men and six women.

Romero’s case is being heard in Kosciusko Superior Court One, with Judge Karin McGrath presiding.

Affidavit Of Probable Cause

On Dec. 22, 2024, Warsaw Police officers responded to a shooting at a residence. A woman said a man was shot in the head by Romero, who left the scene in a vehicle.

Upon arrival at the residence, officers noticed a damaged front door frame and a large wrench and duct tape on the residence’s floor. The woman was applying pressure to the man’s head and said Romero broke into the home and shot the man.

According to court documents, the man said he was “just chilling” when Romero broke into the residence and shot him. The man was taken to Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital and then later flown to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne. Emergency medical services reported the man sustained a gunshot wound that grazed his head and completely went through his left shoulder.

The woman told officers she was relaxing with the man when she noticed a vehicle had stopped outside of her home. She told the man she believed it was Romero. Before she could get to the door, Romero allegedly kicked in the residence’s front door, which was dead bolted and secure. During this, Romero held a large wrench and argued with the woman.

He then dropped the wrench, pulled a firearm, and pointed it at the woman. Romero then pointed the firearm toward the man, shot him, and left the scene.

Law enforcement checked addresses associated with Romero and found him at a Warsaw residence. Inside Romero’s vehicle, officers found a handgun consistent with evidence located at the scene of the shooting.

Opening Statements

In his opening statement to the jury, Sobek said Romero committed burglary with “the intent to commit a felony.” He recalled facts listed in the affidavit of probable cause and said the evidence in the case is “straightforward.” Sobek said Romero had previously been in a relationship with the woman, who broke up with Romero and began dating the man who Romero allegedly shot.

Nikos referenced “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert Pirsig in his statement, telling the jury that “truth is consistency,” arguing the state’s case would show “grave inconsistencies.” He said on Dec. 21, 2024, the woman’s two children asked to spend the night with Romero, with their mother allowing them to do so. Nikos also said Romero took the woman to work that day and that there had been a conversation about Romero getting back together with the woman.

When the woman stopped answering his calls and texts, Nikos said Romero went to the woman’s house and saw her having sex with a man. He said in his opening statement that Romero’s gun was kicked out of a holster on his person and went off when both he and the woman dove after it.

Witness Testimony

The state’s first witness was Tami Brooks, a Kosciusko 911 dispatcher. A 911 call of the woman calling 911, requesting medical assistance for the man who was shot, was played for the jury. In the call, the man was heard talking in the background, with the woman telling Brooks that Romero came into the house and shot the man.

One of the woman’s children was called as the state’s second witness. The child said their mother and Romero dated for approximately five years and estimated they were broken up for about a week prior to the shooting incident.

They testified that they were trying to sleep at Romero’s house when Romero came to get them and said they needed to go get their mother from work. The child said they “felt weird” about that, telling the jury they left about two hours after their mother would have finished their shift. The child said they were in a vehicle with Romero and said he was “driving very fast.”

They stated they saw Romero break down the front door to their mother’s house while holding a wrench and heard three gunshots. When Romero returned to the vehicle, the child asked what happened and said Romero looked “worried, nervous.”

Following the shooting, Romero went to his brother’s house with the child. While there, Romero’s hair was cut, and he called his mother to tell her he “fought someone.”

In cross-examination by Nakos, the child said they called Romero and asked if they and their sibling could spend time with him. They also said they believed their mother and Romero hugged and kissed before the mother was dropped off at work.

The state’s final witness for the day was Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kreg Kuhn, who assisted in locating Romero after the shooting and took Romero into custody. Kuhn said he located Romero at his parents’ residence around 2 a.m. Dec. 22, 2024, placing Romero into custody without incident. Kuhn testified that Romero came out of the home voluntarily and was cooperative with law enforcement.

The trial will continue in Kosciusko Superior Court One at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7.