NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A pregnant widow recalled the last text message from her husband before he was killed in an altercation outside a bar in Scottsdale, Arizona, earlier this month.
Thomas John “TJ” Pizzitola, 29, was found lying unconscious on a sidewalk around 2:15 a.m. on Oct. 11 near Pattie’s First Avenue Lounge, after he and two friends were kicked out for unruly behavior, FOX10 Phoenix reported.
Pizzitola and his two friends had been walking outside to a rideshare pickup when one friend allegedly bumped into a woman. Drew Meneses, 24, then allegedly sucker-punched Pizzitola, knocking him unconscious.
Pizzitola’s wife, Krisan, said she had dropped him off at the lounge for what was supposed to be a fun night out with his friends just weeks before their son was due to be born.
ALLEGED DRUNKEN DRIVER BLAMES FASHION FAIL FOR CRASH THAT KILLED MAN ON FIRST DATE: REPORT
Thomas John “TJ” Pizzitola, 29, had gone out for a night with friends when the incident happened in the early morning hours of Oct. 11 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Pizzitola Family via FOX10 Phoenix KSAZ)
“I texted him that I had gotten home and he texted me back and said that he wished that I was there, but that he was so proud of me for staying home and taking care of our baby boy and that he loved me,” Krisan told the outlet.
“That was the last text I ever got from him,” she added.
Pizzitola was rushed to a hospital, though he later died from a fatal brain injury.
On Oct. 22, police arrested five people in connection with his death, including Meneses, who was charged with second-degree murder.
Drew Meneses, 24, was charged with second-degree murder and is being held on $1 million bond. (Scottsdale Police Department / Maricopa County Jail)
Meneses is being held on $1 million bond. He told the court that the incident “was a bad night,” according to the outlet.
“It was not supposed to happen like that at all and there was no malicious intent for that at all,” he said.
Prosecutor Angela Andrews said cellphone video shows Pizzitola “standing with his arms to his side” when Meneses walks “up behind him and essentially sucker punch him in the head,” according to the outlet.
CHICAGO FATHER DIES IN CRASH AFTER SMASH-AND-GRAB SUSPECT FLEES WITH $700K OF LOUIS VUITTON GOODS
The other suspects include Julius Husser, 27, Tony Becker, 26, and Mark Whitford, 23, all of whom were charged with aggravated assault. Husser and Becker each face an additional charge of assault. A fifth suspect, 27-year-old Krista Molina, was charged with assault and disorderly conduct.
Julius Husser, 27, from left, Tony Becker, 26, and Mark Whitford, 23, and Krista Molina, 27, were all charged in connection with the assault. (Scottsdale Police Department / Maricopa County Jail)
Krisan is due to give birth to a baby boy next month.
“I’m trying so hard not to be so angry at this situation and try to be the strong woman that he thinks that I am,” she told the outlet.
Krisan added that she is going to name the child TJ Vito as a tribute to his late father.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“All he ever wanted to be was the best father ever and the best husband,” she said. “But he wasn’t finished.”
A GoFundMe page for the Pizzitola family said Pizzitola will continue to help others through organ donation.