Woman convicted of riot at Gary's: Keep Jimmy inside

Mandy Patch, left, and Laurie Henner testifiy Wednesday during the Eric Langlais manslaughter trial in Strafford County Superior Court. (The Rochester Voice photos)

DOVER - When the girlfriend of Bang N Jane drummer Jim Unfonak returned to Gary's Sports Bar to pick up her boyfriend early the morning of Jan. 31, 2016, Laurie Henner pulled her aside and begged her to keep Unfonak inside, she testified on Wednesday.

"Why," asked Assistant County Attorney Tim Sullivan.

"I didn't want it to get any worse," Henner said. "They were angry, yelling back and forth. Eric was also very angry."

The startling revelation came during a day of a riveting testimony that featured two sisters who were caught in the middle of a night of insults and altercations at Gary's, a night that ended with a fatal injury to Unfonak at the hands of Eric Langlais, 42, of Barnstead, who faces up to 30 years if found guilty of manslaughter in the drummer's death.

Henner, of Farmington, along with her sister, Mandy Patch, of Rochester, both pleaded guilty to felony riot charges in connection with the fatal incident at Gary's that night. They served short jail confinements and are now out on probation.

Defendant Eric Langlais stands alone during a brief court recess on Wednesday at Strafford County Superior Court.

Under state statute, riot is when a person "assembles with 2 or more other persons with the purpose of engaging soon thereafter in tumultuous or violent conduct."

After Henner testified that her sister and Langlais were angry, Sullivan asked, "Was there a plan (against Unfonak)?"

"I don't know," she replied.

Sullivan continued, "There was a plan. I asked you if there was a plan and you said they had a plan to beat him up," which drew and immediate objection from the defense, which was sustained.

Sullivan then asked Henner how she came to that conclusion.

"They (Langlais and Patch) were very angry," she replied.

During cross-examination defense attorney Joseph Welsh asked Henner point blank, "You never heard anyone say, 'We're going to beat up Jimmy,' did you?"

"No," she said.

Patch, who was hanging out with Langlais at a couple of bars before ending up at Gary's that night, said the problem started earlier in the evening when Unfonak made "oinking noises" while near them and escalated when he made more vulgar comments later in the night.

Around 1:15 a.m. Langlais, Henner, Patch and Forrest "Smoky" Rollins were asked to leave, but remained outside the bar.

"Why didn't you leave?" Sullivan asked Patch.

"We were outside."

"But why didn't you leave?"

"Because I was upset what Jim said," Patch replied.

"You wanted to get physical," Sullivan continued.

"Yes."

Sullivan then recounted the moment when Unfonak fell to the ground after taking a right hand just under his left chin.

"And when you saw that you put your hands up, you were clapping," Sullivan said.

"I was pretty happy for the comments he made, yes. At that point I was happy," Patch said.

"You wanted him to get assaulted."

"Yes."

The trial continues today at Strafford County Superior Court and could easily continue into next week, Judge Mark E. Howard said on Wednesday.