Who killed Chafic "Steve" Ezzeddine? A New Jersey cold case investigation
It's been nearly 14 years since Chafic "Steve" Ezzeddine, a diner owner, was brutally murdered inside his business in Morris County, New Jersey.
Police believe they're getting close to solving the cold case, but are still urging members of the public to come forward with information to help the Ezzeddine's wife, children and grandchildren find closure.
CBS News New York's Alice Gainer sat down with the family and investigators.
Who is Chafic "Steve" Ezzeddine?
Chafic "Steve" Ezzeddine came to the U.S. from Lebanon in the 1970s to marry his wife, Amal, since their religious differences were not supported in their town.
"I think they were a really good match, you know. They complimented each other well," son Walid Abou-Ezzeddine said.
He arrived first before calling for her.
"Came from a good family and a good start to a career. Gave that all up and was working in the restaurant industry and other odds and ends," son Samer Abou-Ezzeddine said. "In Lebanon, he had a major in philosophy and theology, so he wanted to continue his studies here, was taking classes at Montclair."
Over time, the couple went from living in a motel, to an apartment, to a house, all while raising three sons and eventually buying the Kenvil Diner off Route 46 in Roxbury Township.
The sons say their father worked 90-hour weeks.
"Hardest working man. It's not possible for a man to work harder," Samer Abou-Ezzeddine said.
"They really ran the diner together," Walid Abou-Ezzeddine said. "And he always had time for us."
Ezzeddine, his sons say, loved peppermint patties, Clint Eastwood movies and crossword puzzles.
"In the early 2000s, it was pretty much empty after lunch. My father would just, he and I would just be sitting at the counter doing a crossword puzzle together. Those are the days I miss," Walid Abou-Ezzeddine said.
"The one thing that people would not know about him, you know, for a guy who was in a diner for 14 hours a day, he always found opportunities to write poetry, so he was a very intellectual, deep thinker," Samer Abou-Ezzeddine said.
"I have napkins that he used to write poetry on, 'cause he just would grab something whenever it came to mind," Walid Abou-Ezzeddine said.
Long before he moved to the U.S., Ezzeddine's nickname was "Steve."
"Growing up, he would tell us all these stories about how his friends gave him the nickname 'Steve' because he was so fit that everybody thought he was like Steve Reeves," Samer Abou-Ezzeddine said.
Samer Abou-Ezzeddine says his father's friend tells it a little bit differently.
"A bit more of a kind of ribbing, you know, that he was so into working out and push-ups and pull-ups and proving to his friends that he was stronger than they were, that they were like, 'Alright, Steve Reeves,' and it stuck," Samer Abou-Ezzeddine said.
"So there was no misbehaving in your house?" Gainer asked.
"No, there was no misbehaving in our house," Samer Abou-Ezzeddine said.
"Well, there wasn't supposed to be," Walid Abou-Ezzeddine said.
The most significant thing about him, they say, was his heart.
Ezzeddine's sons say he would leave the diner door unlocked, even after closing. If someone came in while he was cleaning up and didn't have money, "He'd always turn the grill back on, make them a meal, give it to them for free," Walid Abou-Ezzeddine says,
The last time they saw their father was at Samer's wedding.
"I don't think we grew up ever seeing my father really dance all that much, but he, as you can see from the picture, was," Samer Abou-Ezzeddine said, looking at a photo of his father dancing at his wedding.
"I mean, that was probably the only memory I have of him dancing and like letting loose like that," Walid Abou-Ezzeddine said.
New Jersey diner owner found murdered inside restaurant
In the early evening hours of Saturday, May 28, 2011 – Memorial Day weekend – Amal hadn't heard from her husband.
"She had gone to church after closing, came home after church, and he was not home. So she went to the diner, and that's when he was discovered," former Roxbury Township Police Lt. Adam DelGuercio said. "He was stabbed."
Ezzeddine's three sons were out of state when their 70-year-old father was killed.
"I was shaking. I didn't even believe it," Walid Abou-Ezzeddine said.
Samer Abou-Ezzeddine was actually out of the country; it was the last day of his honeymoon. He returned home the next day to a flurry of messages on his phone.
"I called my older brother first, and I remember his first words were, 'He's gone,'" Samer Abou-Ezzeddine said.
DelGuercio responded that day.
"Can you talk about the murder weapon itself? Was that recovered?" Gainer asked.
"It was a knife," DelGuercio said.
"It was a knife. From the diner?" Gainer asked.
"I can't get too far into it," DelGuercio said.
Ezzeddine always closed in the early afternoon on weekends, leaving the door unlocked as he cleaned up.
The murder took place in broad daylight.
"We believe the incident took place between 5 p.m. and 5:30," DelGuercio said.
"Any signs of a struggle? Anything taken?" Gainer asked.
"We do believe robbery was the motive," DelGuercio said.
He says a minimal amount of money was taken.
"Did they have any security cameras in the area, at the diner?" Gainer asked.
"There was security cameras in the area," DelGuercio said.
Morris County prosecutor's office has person of interest in cold case
After the murder, the Morris County prosecutor's office released images of two people of interest captured on nearby cameras; they're tightlipped about it now.
"Do you have any idea who you're looking for?" Gainer asked Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll.
"We have a person of interest," Carroll said.
"Person or persons?" Gainer asked.
"Person," Carroll said.
"Was that someone who was recently deemed a person of interest?" Gainer asked.
"I really would prefer not to speculate at this point," Carroll said.
"Do you believe Mr. Ezzeddine knew his attacker?" Gainer asked.
"Again, I don't want to speculate further," Carroll said.
Ezzeddine's sons say the diner had regular customers.
"Was there someone you thought, it could've been this customer? It was random? What were your thoughts?" Gainer asked the sons.
"I couldn't and still can't think of who it would be," Walid Abou-Ezzeddine said. "Didn't have enemies. It was the opposite, you know. He was very welcoming and generous to anyone that walked through those doors."
"I always implored my father to lock the door when he'd be in the back room cleaning up or just because there was a cash register there, and just, if you're gonna be in the back room, lock the front door, but he never did because he didn't suspect anything of anybody," Samer Abou-Ezzeddine said.
"It's not right on any level"
"It's just truly a senseless crime. All this guy did was work and provide for his family," said DelGuercio, who retired recently. "This is my one regret, that I couldn't close this case ... This one will haunt me for a long time, forever."
The Morris County prosecutor's office, the Morris County sheriff and Roxbury Township Police say the investigation has taken them all over the country. The FBI, Secret Service and other agencies have assisted.
"I do believe there's gonna be a solve on this case," Morris County Sheriff James Gannon said. "To the offender, we're not gonna sleep. We're gonna keep on coming after you."
Gannon says it's not too late for people with information to come forward.
The final plea comes from the family who lost a grandfather, father and husband.
"I remember being scared. I mean, our father had just been murdered," Samer Abou-Ezzeddine said. "I'm sure you've heard this, Alice, like, it doesn't happen to me, couldn't possibly happen to you. That notion has been dispelled."
Ezzeddine's family now checks in on each other frequently throughout the day.
"My mother deserves some closure, and the brutality of how it happened... It's not right on any level," Walid Abou-Ezzeddine said.
The family and Crimestoppers are offering a reward totaling $50,000 for information that leads to an arrest. If you know anything, call one of these phone numbers:
- Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit: 973-285-6200
- Roxbury Police Department: 973-448-2100
- Morris County Crimestoppers: 973-COP-CALL (973-267-2255) or online at morriscrimestoppers.org
