A witness who described himself as best friends with Dylan Lovato was the key witness during Wednesday’s testimony in a Macomb murder case.
Lovato, now 25, is charged with murder in the March 9, 2022 shooting death of Ivan Almanza, 23, while Almanza slept in the bed of Lovato’s ex-girlfriend.
Surveillance video from Thompson Hall at Western Illinois University shows Lovato meeting with David Freeman in the residence hall’s lobby at 3:36 a.m. on that date.
During his testimony, Freeman said the two then went to the second floor lounge.
“He confessed he murdered Ivan,” Freeman told the jury under questioning from Assistant State’s Attorney Susan Maxwell.
Freeman said Lovato told him that he shot Almanza “six times in the face” while he was laying down in bed with Emily Check, Lovato’s ex-girlfriend.
Freeman also said that Lovato gave him “a wad of cash” to try to give to Lovato’s parents. Freeman said he turned the cash over to police.
Upon cross-examination, Freeman said he had known Lovato for five or six years, they belonged to the same fraternity at WIU, and that he had never seen Lovato acting like he did on that morning.
“It wasn’t Dylan. He didn’t look like he was all there,” Freeman said.
He also said he didn’t notice any blood on Lovato.
The visit came before the shooting
The time stamp on the surveillance video shows Freeman and Lovato hugging in the lobby before Lovato left Thompson Hall at 4:17:53.
Less than 20 minutes later, at about 4:34 a.m., Macomb police responded to a call of someone having been shot in an apartment at 425 N. Charles St., just off the eastern edge of the WIU campus. On Tuesday, Check said she tried to take care of Almanza and call 911 as quickly as possible after the shooting.
The jury also heard on Wednesday from an expert in forensic pathology, Dr. Nathaniel Patterson. He conducted the autopsy on Almanza on March 10, 2022.
Patterson said Almanza had three gunshot wounds to the left side of his face. Two were fired from very close to the face – less than a foot away.
He said the other shot could have been fired from 10 inches to up to three feet from the face.
He recovered one projectile from Almanza’s skull. The other two shots exited the back of his head.
Patterson said any one of the shots would likely have proved fatal.
Also Wednesday, Jeff Thew, a crime scene investigator for Illinois State Police, said he recovered two handguns from the Jeep Renegade that Lovato was driving when he was taken into custody in Galesburg.
One was a Taurus PT 111 semi-automatic handgun. The other was a Rohm RG23 revolver. There was also a box of 9mm ammunition in the Jeep’s glove box.
Thew said investigators recovered two projectiles from the bedroom in the apartment on North Charles St.
The state rested its case mid-afternoon Wednesday. The defense declined to call any witnesses, and Lovato – who has pleaded not guilty -- declined to take the stand in his own defense.
Judge Heidi Benson said closing arguments will be held Thursday morning before the case goes to the jury.
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