| By David Hedges, Publisher
The Times Record Available At
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Hedges covered a pretrial hearing in Spencer last week to write this report.
A chief witness slated to testify in a murder trial in Roane Circuit Court next week claims to have had an unusual visitor while
he was in jail in Ohio earlier this year.
Richard Cummings said the man threatened his teenage daughter's life if he testified.
The trial of Alex Vincent Golosow, also known as "Tattoo Vince," is scheduled to get underway in Roane Circuit Court
Tuesday.
The 41-year-old Tariff man is charged with the murder of his friend, Judson Reid, last October.
Cummings, a friend of both men, testified in a pre-trial hearing last week. Cummings and his girlfriend, Sandra Kahlaf, each
testified that Golosow and Reid had met at the couple's home in Ovapa, Clay County, the day before Reid's death.
Reid allegedly gave Golosow $1,600 for a pound of marijuana, and said his son-in-law wanted 20 more pounds if the
marijuana was of good quality.
Golosow allegedly took the money, but never delivered the drugs.
Instead Golosow, Cummings and two others went to Elkview, where Golosow spent $800 on a gun.
During the shopping trip, Golosow allegedly told Cummings, "Don't worry. This isn't Jud's money."
The next day Golosow returned to the home shared by Cummings and Kahlaf and asked for their help in cutting up a deer he
had shot. After stopping at a restaurant in Clay for lunch, the three friends went to Golosow's residence on Maple Run.
There they made a grisly discovery.
Cummings testified that Golosow was driving Reid's car. When they got to the house, Kahlaf said she saw blood in the
yard.
When they went inside, they saw Reid face down on the bathroom floor.
"He'd been shot through the top of the head," said Cummings. "His face was blown off."
Kahlaf said Golosow told her to clean up the bloody mess, while he and Cummings left in Reid's car to dispose of the
body.
Prosecutor Mark Sergent asked Kahlaf why she agreed to help with the cleanup.
"I seen a dead body on the ground," she answered. "If I didn't, I probably would have been laying next to it."
Kahlaf said when the men weren't around she picked up a .45 caliber handgun, which she ended up taking home. Police now
believe that was the murder weapon. Sergent said it was not the same gun Golosow allegedly purchased in Elkview.
In the hearing to determine what evidence would be allowed at the trial, Cummings also testified about a visitor he had in the
Cuyahoga County Jail.
Cummings said he was arrested Jan. 1 on a charge of attempted aggravated arson.
A week later he said a man he did not recognize visited him at the jail. He said the man told him his name was "Slim."
Cummings said the man showed him photographs of Cummings' 15-year-old daughter, and of the home where she lives in
Ohio.
He said the man warned him not to testify in this case.
"He said if I did testify he'd send me my kid's head," Cummings said.
Cummings said he did not report the incident to police until he was released from jail in early April.
Judge Tom Evans said the testimony about the alleged visit from "Slim" would not be allowed in the trial, because the incident
was still under investigation.
Court-appointed defense attorney Leah Boggs also raised questions about a search warrant in the case issued by Magistrate
Denver Gandee, which later turned up missing in Gandee's office.
Gandee was the first to testify in the hearing last Thursday and said the search warrant had not been found, although he did
recall issuing it.
Boggs said since there was no way to analyze the search warrant to see if it was legal, the results of the search should not be
allowed.
Since the police officer's request for the search warrant, and the inventory of items seized, was not lost, Evans said the
evidence was not disqualified.
Boggs is assisted by another defense attorney, Drew Patton, while Sergent is being assisted by Scott Reynolds of the W.Va.
Prosecuting Attorneys Institute.
The case is slated to begin Tuesday morning with jury selection.
-Details regarding this and other newsworthy stories can be followed in the Award Winning Times-Record and Roane
County Reporter.
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