An Atlantic City man accused of chasing down a man and stabbing him to death was ordered held in jail Thursday.
Julio Felix Vazquez-Dones, 37, was captured on surveillance video armed with a golf club and a knife chasing Jewel Lonon, according to the charges.
Police called to the 1100 block of Pacific Avenue at about 5 a.m. July 8, found Lonon dead.
"(Vazquez-Dones) decided he wasn't going to beat (Lonon) to death with the golf club. Instead, he decided to stab him to death with the knife," Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seth Levy told the judge.
Defense attorney Lauren Musarra said that Vazquez-Dones is a hard-working man who was scared and defending his family.
She claimed that a preliminary investigation by the defense found that the victim was believed to have a gun and assaulted Vazquez-Dones before the fatal attack, according to the defendant's wife and sister.
The alleged gun "was potentially removed from the scene by the victim's friends or family members who were there," Musarra said.
The incident happened around Carmine's restaurant, where Vazquez-Dones works as a busser and waiter, Musarra said. It is owned by his in-laws.
His wife and sister claim that Lonon banged on the window to the point of shattering or cracking.
The killing was an unfortunate but unintended act, Musarra said, adding that Vazquez-Dones was cooperative with police and admitted to his actions.
But the state claims he tried to get rid of the clothes he was wearing.
The judge also questioned how the victim would have had a gun, yet did not defend himself against the deadly attack.
"The defendant is caught on surveillance chasing the victim and stabbing the victim," Judge Pam D'Arcy said. "It beguiles the fact that the victim had a handgun on their person."
She also pointed to Vazquez-Dones' ties to Pennsylvania and that he has six different aliases and four different birthdates on record that could make him a flight risk.
The judge ordered him held pending the outcome of the case.
He will remain in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
