Family of man killed at Anahuac crawfish restaurant no strangers to tragedy
ANAHUAC, Texas (KTRK) -- The victim of a deadly bar fight in Chambers County had "no clue what hit him," according to the sheriff.
Justin Berry, 46, a father and former Marine, died after being punched in the head. It happened at The Crawfish Place near Anahuac early Sunday morning.
Sheriff Brian Hawthorne says crystal-clear surveillance video shows Nicholas Cole Fregia, 25, as the aggressor during an argument that escalated.
After the fight had been broken up and Berry had walked away, witnesses told investigators Fregia "sucker-punched" him. Berry hit the concrete floor and Fregia took off.
Berry was taken by ambulance to Bayside Hospital and then taken by Life Flight to Memorial Hospital, where he died.
WATCH: What we know about Berry's alleged attacker
Authorities said deputies made contact with Fregia, who told them he was willing to surrender. He never did and stopped communicating.
Deputies eventually tracked Fregia to a motel in Cleveland, Texas where he was arrested. The Liberty County Sheriff's Office and Cleveland Police Department assisted.
In December 2016, Eyewitness News interviewed Berry after his daughter, Carlie Jean Berry, 21, died in a car crash. The community came together to put up decorations to brighten Christmas for the 2-year-old daughter she left behind. Berry was grateful.
"It is amazing. My heart wasn't in it, but I'm so thankful that they did it," he said at the time.
Fregia is being held on a felony murder charge. His bond was set at $200,000.
