About 15 months ago, Anthony Mele was eating dinner with his family at a restaurant in Ventura County when he was attacked and killed by a homeless man. He was even holding his 5-year-old daughter when the incident happened.
Now, his heartbroken family is speaking out about what happened that night at Aloha Steakhouse.
“He was married with the baby, and working, was doing really good. He was just a really good guy,” Anthony’s mother Becky Mele told CBSLA. “This is just unbelievable you know? You’re inside a restaurant somebody come and stab you..."
The homeless man suspected of killing him is 49-year-old Jamal Jackson, and witnesses say he was also harassing other people in the area before he attacked the Mele family. According to investigators, he walked up to their table unprovoked, and stabbed Anthony in the neck.
“We had units that were in the city but were on calls and not available to respond initially,” Ventura Police later said.
Prosecutors say Jackson already had a criminal record full of domestic violence charges before he attacked Anthony. Yet Jackson is still awaiting his trial, due to what his defense attorney calls "his lack of competency."
“What’s everybody doing to stop this? I don’t even think they’re doing enough,” Becky said. “This has just destroyed us.”
Read the full report on CBSLA.