Man identified in fatal Ventura stabbing; suspect faces murder charge

A 35-year-old Ventura father and husband died from a stab wound he suffered earlier this week while having dinner with his family at Aloha Steakhouse in Ventura, police said Friday.

Officials with the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Anthony Mele. His death appears to be the city’s first reported homicide of 2018, said Ventura police Cmdr. Tom Higgins.

Ventura police said they were notified that the victim was removed from life support about 6:30 p.m. Thursday and died from the injury.

The man Ventura police said is responsible for the stabbing was arrested on the night of the incident. Jamal Jackson, 49, who has been held in Ventura County jail since Wednesday, made his first court appearance Friday in connection with the murder charge. Jackson, who is listed as homeless, was being held in lieu of a $1.05 million bond.

Meanwhile, Ventura police said they were stepping up patrols around the Ventura Promenade where the stabbing took place. City leaders also decried the incident and vowed the take measures to ensure a similar incident does not occur.

“We are extremely disheartened and infuriated by this criminal attack,” Mayor Neal Andrews said in a statement. “We will not tolerate this in our community. Nothing is more important than the safety of our visitors, residents and businesses.”

At dinner

The incident unfolded Wednesday night inside the restaurant at 364 S. California St. while Mele was with his wife and his 5-year-old daughter, who sat on his lap.

Mele had just finished eating when the stabbing occurred, police said. The attacker walked into the Aloha Steakhouse and stabbed Mele in the neck, according to police. The girl was not injured, authorities said.

Authorities were called to the scene at 9:20 p.m. When officers arrived and found Mele, he was taken to a hospital, where he immediately underwent surgery. His initial condition was critical, police said.

Related: One injured in Ventura stabbing incident; man arrested

The suspect, identified by authorities as Jackson, was chased by a group of people away from the crime scene and out onto the nearby beach, police said.

Officers later found Jackson and arrested him in connection with the incident, and he was taken to Ventura County jail, authorities said.

Mele’s loved ones have created a GoFundMe page to raise money for a memorial. As of Friday evening, the GoFundMe page for Mele showed more than $20,000 had been donated. The goal is $50,000.

The restaurant was open for business Friday as police continued to investigate a motive for the attack. An impromptu memorial with flowers, candles and photos of Mele had been set up outside near a corner of the restaurant, where people were paying their respects.

Andrews and his colleagues on the Ventura City Council issued a statement about the tragedy on Friday, extending condolences to the victim’s family and thanking the bystanders who followed the suspect before police arrived.

“My council colleagues and I want to assure the public that the City Council will commit whatever resources are necessary to make sure a senseless crime like this does not happen again,” Deputy Mayor Matt LaVere said in a statement.

“We have complete confidence in the Ventura Police Department, and the council has authorized immediate police action in response to this tragedy,” he continued. “Working together, we will proactively respond by doing whatever it takes to rid our beautiful promenade of criminal vagrancy.”

On the promenade

Through an initial investigation into the stabbing, Ventura police learned that Jackson had been in the area of the promenade for several hours before the incident occurred.

At 6:23 p.m. on Wednesday, authorities were contacted about a man yelling and being disruptive near the Crowne Plaza Hotel, across the promenade from the Aloha Steakhouse.

All Ventura patrol officers in the area were assigned to other calls, so Ventura police used the pier security camera system to observe the man described by the witness, police said. The man was later determined by authorities to be Jackson.

After watching Jackson’s behavior for more than 20 minutes, police determined Jackson did not appear to be causing a disturbance or threat to the public and canceled the call for service before any patrol resources could respond.

As part of the criminal investigation, Ventura police have released the surveillance footage in the hopes of contacting several people depicted speaking with Jackson. Anyone who made contact with Jackson is asked to call Sgt. Matt Cain at 805-339-4488.

Here's the surveillance footage:

Ventura police have since increased their patrol presence near the promenade, authorities said.

In addition to Wednesday’s surveillance, Ventura police have had previous contacts with Jackson over the past six months that were mainly disturbance-related calls, according to authorities. He was arrested in connection with a domestic-related battery in March, Higgins said.

According to Ventura County Superior Court records, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office on Friday charged Jackson with felony willful, deliberate, premeditated murder. He also faces three special allegations related to a prior felony conviction.

Court records show Jackson was convicted of two crimes that occurred in the 1990s. He was convicted of felony unlawful sexual intercourse and felony burglary.

The judge on Friday continued his arraignment to next Friday at Jackson’s request to hire a private attorney. Jackson faces a maximum sentence of 55 years to life in prison if convicted of the murder.

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