A Colorado man, identified as 34-year-old Jonny George, has died after a violent, random attack left him brain dead. The incident occurred on October 20, as he walked to a nearby Circle K gas station in Westminster, Colorado, to buy cigarettes while celebrating his fifth wedding anniversary with his wife, Erika Haithe.
George never returned home that night. “He’s always returned, and he never returned,” Haithe told CBS Colorado. Unable to reach him by phone, she assumed he had gone to a family member’s home nearby and went to bed, hoping to wake up to him the next morning.
Her hopes were shattered when, the next morning, a nurse from St. Anthony’s Hospital answered George’s phone. She informed Haithe that her husband had been airlifted with severe injuries. “I was upset that I went to sleep. I started having a lot of guilt,” Haithe said.
George had been brutally attacked outside the gas station, suffering skull fractures and brain bleeds. He underwent emergency brain surgery but was declared brain dead after three weeks in the hospital. On November 10, he was taken off life support, and his organs were donated.
Haithe shared on CBS Colorado that the attack left no defensive wounds, suggesting George did not fight back. “This was all straight in the head. He’s not really one to have confrontations. He’s more of a helper than anything,” she said.
Before the attack, George had reportedly called 911 to report a disturbance but later told officers not to come, believing he could make it home safely. His wallet and phone were not taken, further deepening the mystery surrounding the assault.
Westminster Police have not yet declared the case a homicide and are urging the public for information, as there is no security footage of the incident. “Anyone who has witnessed this incident or has more information is asked to contact the Westminster Police Department,” they wrote in a statement.
For Haithe, who married George in 2019 and shared a blended family, the loss is unimaginable. “I always call him my left-hand man, and I’m his right-hand woman because he’s left-handed and I’m right-handed,” she said. “It baffles me that somebody would want to do that. I don’t know why. It’s sickening.”
A GoFundMe campaign has raised over $16,000 to help with medical bills and support George’s grieving family. The case remains under investigation.