LAWRENCE, Kan. — New details were learned on Friday about the 19-year-old Lawrence woman accused of murdering her boss and roommate. Sarah Gonzalez McLinn had a preliminary hearing and afterwards, FOX 4 spoke to a man that knew the victim, Harold Sasko.
Everardo Cazares worked for Sasko and spoke highly of him.
“He offered me a job, gave me the opportunity, so I work for him as a manager and general manager for 5 years,” he said.
Cazares said hearing details in court was hard because Sasko was a nice person.
“He helped everybody. He wants to help everybody, and in fact, he was helping Sarah, to get straight, her life straightened and giving a chance for her to get away to college,” he said.
Cazares said McLinn worked at Cici’s Pizza in Topeka. He said McLinn sometimes came to the Lawrence location to bring supplies between restaurants, or to eat and visit with Sasko. Cazares said he didn’t have much interaction with McLinn when she came to visit, but described her as “a calm person but also quiet.”
He also said learning information in court Friday have him a better idea of what could’ve been going through McLinn’s mind.
“It disturbed me because then you know what was going through her mind, not just from certain things that happened just before, but from a long time ago,” Cazares said.
He also lamented the loss of Sasko.
“He is greatly missed and as I say, he was a caring person with his employees. He gave opportunities to high school kids, to get some job experiences to help their lives through school,” he said. “He was always willing to help with some extra steps, like I knew several instances, like one of the employees was going to Florida for a marriage, he gave them the right to stay at his condominium.”
He said it was shocking the way McLinn is accused of ending Sasko’s life.
“He didn’t deserve that at all. I mean, the kind of person he was, no, I never thought I would be here,” Cazares said.
He said he also went to Friday court hearing to squash any rumors people may have said about Sasko’s relationship with McLinn.
“Also to displace some rumors that people were saying about their relationship, because I knew, it was not that kind of relationship. He never mentioned it, or made it for people to think about that,” he said.
Cazares also shared his hopes with FOX 4 for the outcome of this situation.
“I just hope that his name comes clean and I mean for her, I have no bad wishes. I just, I don’t know what her problems are, psychological or not, but I just hope that she realizes what she did and hopefully she can get her life back,” he said.
Cazares plans to attend any future hearings and the trial.
Carl Cornwell, McLinn’s defense attorney, said the prosecution has asked both sides to keep this case “in the courtroom.”
“We had a meeting with the court and I have utmost for Judge Martin. She’s asked that we follow certain rules, and I’m going to follow the rules,” Cornwell said. “I can tell you what you heard in there was interesting.”
Trial in the case is set for August 4, 2014, but because defense filed a notice of intent to rely upon a defense of mental disease or defect, excluding criminal responsibility, Cornwell believes the trial could be delayed until as late as next summer.
Cornwell said he couldn’t comment on whether she’d spoken to people in the past about her violent thoughts, or sought counseling.
“She’s a 19-year-old girl and you heard what happened in there. I’m just going to leave it to you figure it. I can only tell you what you saw and I can’t tell you what my opinion is,” he said.
Cornwell also couldn’t speak about the role McLinn’s family support plays in this case.
“But it is nice to have that support, I will say that. That’s very nice to say that.”
