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Investigators say the victim was followed and pummeled by a man who had harassed the victim's date in a bar.
By CHRIS TISCH
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 17, 2001
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH -- Edward Lipowski took an initial punch to the face, then was slammed to the pavement, where his head hit hard.
Then, according to investigators, his assailant was on top of him, punching, hitting, kicking.
When it was over, there wasn't much blood. But something was wrong with Lipowski's head.
He had a headache he couldn't shake. The painkillers he took didn't help. He was in and out of consciousness.
Almost two hours later, he arrived at Sun Coast Hospital. The nursing staff decided his situation was dire. They summoned a helicopter to take him to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.
Two days later, Laura Lipowski looked over her brother, who was motionless and unconscious in a hospital bed. Two blood clots were in his brain. Machines kept him alive.
He had just bought a house. He had been putting together a band. He was as happy as ever. And he was at peace.
Family members decided to let him go.
Lipowski, 40, was pronounced dead at 7:21 a.m. Easter Sunday. About 16 hours later, detectives arrested the man accused of beating him to death.
Jason N. Weiss, 28, faces a charge of second-degree murder. He was being held at the Pinellas County Jail on Monday without bail. Investigators said there were indications Weiss was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time.
Pinellas sheriff's officials said Lipowski was at Whitey's Beach Bar, 2405 Gulf Blvd., Thursday night. He was with Janna Kens, 28, whom he had met earlier that day. They were dancing and having a good time.
But Kens was being harassed by Weiss, who she said was swiping her beer from her table. A patron escorted Weiss outside and a manager told him to leave. But he came back.
When Kens and Lipowski left about 1 a.m., Weiss followed them into the parking lot, where he began cursing and yelling at Kens. Lipowski tried to settle him down, but Weiss punched him, sheriff's officials said.
Then Weiss took Lipowski to the ground and beat him, sheriff's officials said.
Kens told the Times that Lipowski wasn't trying to provoke a fight when Weiss attacked him.
Weiss left and Lipowski got up, but was shaken. Kens said he wanted to drive, but she didn't think he was capable. She drove him to a friend's house, then to her house in Indian Rocks Beach. He lay down and took some painkillers, but it didn't help, she said.
"He was crying," she said. "He kept saying his head hurts."
Kens said she suggested to Lipowski that he go to the hospital, but he didn't want to. She then got him into his car and took him to Sun Coast Hospital. Hospital records show he arrived there at 3:08 a.m., then was loaded onto the helicopter at 5:25 a.m.
Laura Lipowski said she wonders why Kens didn't take her brother immediately to the hospital. Sheriff's officials said Kens is not under investigation because it appears she did not know the seriousness of the injuries.
Laura Lipowski said her brother was born in New Jersey, then moved to Virginia, where he met his wife, Jennifer. He moved here about five years ago and separated from his wife.
Lipowski had been working as a contractor, though he was going to school to get a computer certification.
He was religious and sported an arm tattoo of Jesus.
He raised exotic animals, having bred exotic birds in Virginia and bearded dragons, a type of lizard, in Florida.
His sister said he was an avid musician and had taught himself to play guitar, saxophone and piano. He also had taught himself watercolor painting.
He sang and played at beach places, often belting out Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett tunes.
"The old ladies loved him," his sister said. "He was unbelievably talented."
Lipowski had been putting together an acoustic band with his friend, Dennis Daley. They planned to play at local pubs.
"You couldn't have found a better person," said Daley, who adopted 17 of Lipowski's bearded dragons after his death. "He was just a happy-go-lucky guy at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Laura Lipowski said family members couldn't look at her brother in a still and silent state. Feeling he was at peace with himself, they decided to take him off life support.
"You can't look at someone like that and see them that way," she said. "That's not the way he would want to go. It was okay. It was his time."