On Monday, July 31, Marlon Casanova was murdered by a 53-year-old homeless man while walking home from his job as a line cook at Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar LoDo. He was 35. According to Nik Hanks, media manager for Jax Fish House, he worked at the restaurant for over a year and was considered “warm, generous, humble and hard working.”

To help the Casanova family cover the cost of the funeral and legal fees that will come with his trial, Jax LoDo is hosting a family fundraiser on Thursday, August 24. The team will donate 40 percent of all proceeds from 4 p.m. until close to Casanova’s family.

They are also accepting donations online and at the restaurant during the event, and donations will enter guests into a drawing to win a free crab boil for 10 and other prizes.

“Our dear friend and co-worker Marlon Casanova will be missed by so many,” the Jax team said in a statement. “The family at Jax Fish House in LoDo has lost one of its own. He exemplified the very culture that our beloved restaurant breeds. He was smart, passionate, funny, dedicated, loving and personable. He exhibited these superlatives and so much more to everyone in his path on a daily basis through his humility, his honesty and his cool and easy going demeanor. His talent and work ethic set the bar for all others to follow.”

Jax LoDo is located at 1539 17th Street, Denver. For reservations, call 303-292-5767 or click here for more information.

Photo courtesy of Jax and Casanova’s GoFundMe page.