Profile
Photos
Comments
Man dies six months after attack outside Oakland Park diner
Craig Cohen, 47, was beaten by two men who stole his cell phone
 Craig Cohen, is visited by his dog in the hospital after the beating. |
FORT LAUDERDALE -
A
man severely beaten near an Oakland Park diner six months ago died
Wednesday, never having regained consciousness, his friends and
co-workers said.
Craig Cohen, 47, of Wilton Manors, died at the HospiceCare of Southeast Florida in Fort Lauderdale at about 11 a.m., said Bette Ray, who worked with Cohen at the Broward
School Board. The hospice home did not return a request for comments
Wednesday night.
Cohen was attacked in the early hours of April 6, just after he left
the Peter Pan Diner near Dixie Highway and Oakland Park Boulevard. The
men stomped on his head repeatedly and left him on the sidewalk before
running away with his cell phone, according to the Broward Sheriff's
Office.
Two days after the attack, deputies arrested Victor Gonzalez, 21, and
Pargu Leandro, 25, both of Deerfield Beach. They are charged with
attempted murder, strong arm robbery and aggravated battery causing
bodily harm. Both are still being held without bail in the Broward County Jail.
The men could now face murder charges, pending an autopsy by the Broward Medical Examiner's Office, authorities said.
Another man, David Villanova, 27, of Pompano Beach, also was beaten near the diner that night, but survived.
Investigators initially suspected the attacks were fueled by hate and
committed because both victims were gay. After the arrests, they said
Cohen and Villanova were targeted because they were alone and
vulnerable.
A
man severely beaten near an Oakland Park diner six months ago died
Wednesday, never having regained consciousness, his friends and
co-workers said.
Craig Cohen, 47, of Wilton Manors, died at the HospiceCare of Southeast Florida in Fort Lauderdale at about 11 a.m., said Bette Ray, who worked with Cohen at the Broward
School Board. The hospice home did not return a request for comments
Wednesday night.
Cohen was attacked in the early hours of April 6, just after he left
the Peter Pan Diner near Dixie Highway and Oakland Park Boulevard. The
men stomped on his head repeatedly and left him on the sidewalk before
running away with his cell phone, according to the Broward Sheriff's
Office.
Two days after the attack, deputies arrested Victor Gonzalez, 21, and
Pargu Leandro, 25, both of Deerfield Beach. They are charged with
attempted murder, strong arm robbery and aggravated battery causing
bodily harm. Both are still being held without bail in the Broward County Jail.
The men could now face murder charges, pending an autopsy by the Broward Medical Examiner's Office, authorities said.
Another man, David Villanova, 27, of Pompano Beach, also was beaten near the diner that night, but survived.
Investigators initially suspected the attacks were fueled by hate and
committed because both victims were gay. After the arrests, they said
Cohen and Villanova were targeted because they were alone and
vulnerable.