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'I want a piece of Jim, I want to kill him'

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In image at left, bouncer Terry Cooper, blue shirt, walks toward Jim Unfonak trying to get him to calm down, then moments later, right frame, tells Eric Langlais he and his friends have to leave the bar now. (Rochester Voice photo from surveillance video)

DOVER - The chief of security at Gary's Sport Bar testified on Friday that he threw the man accused of manslaughter in the death of Jim Unfonak out of the Rochester tavern twice, the second time physically dragging the Barnstead man out, himself, after he returned trying to get at the Bang N Jane drummer after having just been tossed.

Terry Cooper, the chief bouncer at Gary's, spent much of the afternoon on the witness stand, explaining how Eric Langlais, 42, of Barnstead, became increasing agitated throughout that tumultuous Saturday night and early Sunday morning, eventually focusing his attention solely on Unfonak, whom he thought had insulted one of his companions, Laurie Henner, by making "oinking" noises while getting into a verbal joust with her earlier in the evening.

Gary's Sports Bar bouncer Terry Cooper under questioning from the state on Friday on the third day of Eric Langlais' manslaughter trial at Strafford County Superior Court. (Rochester Voice photo)

Friday was the third day in the trial of Langlais of Barnstead, who is charged with manslaughter in the death of Unfonak, 44, of Rochester, after Langlais punched him in the jaw causing him to fall to the ground and crack his head on a hard-frozen Gary's parking lot around 1:30 a.m. Jan. 31.

That first confrontation with Henner set the tone for the latter stages of the evening as just before closing and around last call at 12:45 a.m., Cooper could see that what had been a mostly verbal dispute could easily get physical.

As a bouncer, Cooper explained to the court that he looks for certain behaviors to indicate when a fight might erupt. Under questioning from Assistant Attorney Tim Sullivan, Cooper said he saw those behaviors in Langlais.

Defendant Eric Langlais looks back at family and friends during a break in testimony during his manslaughter trial on Friday. (Rochester Voice photo)

While being shown one frame of surveillance video in which Langlais, Henner and her sister, Mandy Patch, are sitting at the corner of the bar with Unfonak some 20 feet away near the so-called "high bar," Cooper said it was clear Langlais was just staring at Unfonak wherever he went, all this as the blistering back and forth continued between Unfonak and the other three.

Cooper said he noticed that Langlais "had his fists clenched, staring incessantly at Jimmy and leaning forward" and decided it was time to toss him and the two women from the bar.

"I saw Eric as the more aggressive so I waved them out the door," Cooper said, explaining that whenever there is an escalating scenario he always tosses out the more aggressive of the two groups first then waits till they leave the premises before telling the other group they must now leave, to keep everybody safe.

"How bout Jim, did he do anything aggressive?" Sullivan asked Cooper.

Gary's bouncer Terry Cooper points to how he, wearing blue T-shirt in video, tried to plant himself between Eric Langlais and Jim Unfonak as he was being escorted to a waiting car. (Rochester Voice photo of surveillance video)

"No."

"Did he say he wanted to fight?"

"No," Cooper said.

The bouncer said as he was escorting the three out, he heard a commotion behind him back in the bar and saw a man taking Unfonak to the floor. That man turned out to be Forrest Rollins, of Rochester, who was later arrested for simple assault of Unfonak.

Cooper said he ran back in to break up the tussle and was shocked that Langlais had followed him back inside the tavern trying to get at Unfonak.

"I dragged him out again and told them (Langlais' group) they had to leave the property," Cooper testified, adding he then went back to get Rollins out of the bar as well.

Just minutes later the bouncer said Langlais and a girl (presumably Henner or Patch) came back to the outside of the glass entrance door.

"Eric was saying, 'I want a piece of Jim, I want to kill him.' He was amped up, he wasn't gonna stop," Cooper testified.

After that he said he told them two more times to leave and that the bar manager had called the cops.

Kelsey Mountain, the longtime girlfriend of Jim Unfonak, grimaces as she watches surveillance video images from Gary's Sports Bar while on the stand Friday morning. (Rochester Voice photo)

All this time, Unfonak remained in the bar, but ultimately told his girlfriend, Kelsey Mountain, that he wanted to leave, so it was planned that Cooper and Unfonak's longtime friend Al Leeman would run protection for him as he walked to get into a waiting car to take him home.

Then, after a night of acrimony and insults that had slowly escalated, what happened next was "so fast," Cooper said.

As soon as they got outside, "Eric began running his mouth and Jimmy retorted," Cooper testified.

"Did he say he wanted to fight?" questioned Sullivan.

"No," Cooper answered.

Cooper testified he was walking on the right side of the car, which was facing the main entrance, between Langlais who was off to the right, but that Langlais began "sliding behind the car," then "grabbed Jimmy and shook him."

He said Unfonak freed his hands and "Eric punched him just under the chin," Cooper said.

"Jimmy stiffened up like a board, then fell back, no elbows out, on frozen mud and snow somewhere near where it goes to pavement," Cooper said.

As soon as it happened Cooper said he went to get between Langlais and Unfonak, who was now lying motionless on the ice and dirt and snow.

"Some people like to pile on and get in another punch," Cooper said.

He said he told Langlais to leave again as they tended to Unfonak.

"Eric was still hopped up," he said.

"When Jim came out (of the bar) was he drunk?" Sullivan asked.

"No," Cooper said.

"Was he stumbling?"

"No."

When he tended to Unfonak, Cooper said his breathing was ragged.

Soon after police and rescue personnel arrived, and Unfonak was rushed first to Frisbie Memoria Hospital and then to Maine Medical Center where hours later he was declared brain dead and taken off life support the following day.

During testimony earlier Friday, Clare Bryce of the Maine Medical Examiner's Office said she concluded after an autopsy a few days after he died that Unfonak succumbed to blunt force head injury.

She said she found internal bleeding around Unfonak's left jaw where Langlais' punch landed, and on the left side of the back of the head where it hit the ground. She said that force was so great it caused a fracture of the left eye socket as the brain was pushed forward.

She also confirmed there was some fentanyl in his system and the BAC was .154, about twice the legal limit for driving.

The trial continues on Tuesday at 11 a.m. with the defense's cross-examination of Cooper.

If Langlais is found guilty of manslaughter, he could be sentenced up to 30 years in prison.

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