Less than two hours before Jorge "Loco" Rosa was gunned down in his bed in his Montauk Avenue, New London, apartment on Nov. 12, 2011, his roommate was involved in a fist fight with one of the two men accused of breaking into the apartment and shooting Rosa, according to a document unsealed recently in New London Superior Court.

Witnesses told police that Todd Silva, 28, also known as T.O., fought with Evan J. Holmes at an afterhours party of the Wild Style Riders Club on South Water Street in downtown New London sometime after 2:30 a.m. Silva punched Holmes in the mouth, and he was bleeding, according to witnesses.

Holmes, 20, and Davion Smith, 19, are accused of breaking into the apartment at 252 Montauk Ave. where Silva, Rosa and Rosa's girlfriend lived and confronting Rosa in bed.

Silva was not home at the time. Questioned the next day by police, Silva denied fighting with Holmes but admitted he had words with a light-skinned black man who he felt disrespected him.

The information about Silva is contained in a search warrant for Silva's gray hooded sweatshirt that was unsealed last week in New London Superior Court. As they interviewed Silva, detectives noticed he had blood on the left sleeve of his sweatshirt; Silva said it was the same sweatshirt he wore to the afterhours party.

Police seized the hoodie as evidence and obtained a search warrant to have it tested for blood, saliva, bodily fluids, hair and fibers.

Silva is not the only person who connects Holmes with Rosa. Holmes had previously dated Rosa's girlfriend, according to court documents, but the two had broken up in April 2010, before Holmes went to prison for shooting somebody in the foot. Holmes had been released from prison just nine days before Rosa was killed.

The girlfriend, who is not identified in the court document, called 911 at 4:17 a.m. to report that Rosa had been shot. She said she and Rosa had gone to sleep at 3:30 a.m. and she woke up to hear Holmes asking Rosa, "Who he was?"

She said she saw Holmes and Smith standing at the end of the bed with guns. The girlfriend said Holmes shot Rosa two or three times before Holmes and Smith fled.

Holmes was arrested about six hours after the shooting at the Days Inn in Old Saybrook. Smith was at large until March 20, when he was arrested at a relative's apartment in New London.

Both men are charged with murder, first-degree home invasion and first-degree burglary and have pending cases in New London Superior Court. Smith, arraigned at the lower-level courthouse on Broad Street the day after his arrest, is set to make his first appearance Wednesday in the court where major crimes are tried.

Holmes is due back in court on May 10.

k.florin@theday.com