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Screwdrivers still sit in Atlantic City bars for man, 71, who died after vicious beatingAug 03, 2011 (The Press of Atlantic City - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- ATLANTIC CITY -- The vodka and orange juice sits in front of the stool at the far corner of the Ducktown Tavern's bar, untouched since Friday, when it was poured with the hope that Al Kessleski would be back. But the 71-year-old longtime city resident won't be taking a sip of his favorite drink. Kessleski died just before noon Tuesday, four days after he was viciously beaten outside his apartment building, across the street from the bar he frequented since it opened six years ago. "He just walked across the street," Ducktown general manager Susan Gifford said, shaking her head in disbelief. The slight man stood just about 5-foot-2, she said: "He couldn't have weighed 100 pounds." Yet, according to police, a 17-year-old boy struck Kessleski with a milk crate, then kicked and punched him as he lay on the ground. Video surveillance captured the attack. "Veteran cops told me they couldn't stomach watching it," said John Exadaktilos, the Ducktown's owner. "I just hope, whoever did this, I hope the judge realizes he is an adult and tries him like one." The teen -- whose name has not been released because of his age -- is just weeks from his 18th birthday, Atlantic County Prosecutor Ted Housel said. Attorney general guidelines determine whether a juvenile defendant is waived to adult court, but Housel said -- even without the more serious charge of murder -- that was a likely option. "This is what they killed him for," Catherine DeLeon said, placing her uncle's belongings onto a table at Culmone's, a bar he also frequented across the way from the Ducktown. "Fifty-one dollars, a watch and jewelry that wasn't even real. This is what they were trying to get from him." The video shows the boy taking Kessleski's wallet. But the money was in his front pocket. His watch was still on his wrist, and a chain with a gold cross was around his neck. The people here know the teen who sits in Harborfields Juvenile Detention Center charged in the assault. They say he and his friends were always sitting near the bar at North Florida Avenue, drinking. He was arrested on this block, at his home, after a witness alerted police that the suspect had gone inside. Now, the boy is charged with armed robbery, robbery, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon (the milk crate) and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Those charges will likely be upgraded now that an autopsy shows Kessleski died of blunt-force trauma to the head. "They're there all the time," Culmone's employee Tammy Todd said of the teens. "All the time." But one hasn't been seen lately. Not since Kessleski -- "Little Al" to many -- was beaten at the far corner. It was unclear if he is also a suspect. "I was working that night," Todd said. "The girls came running in. They kept yelling, 'Up here, up here,' pointing." The description of the victim sounded like her friend. "I didn't want to believe it was him," Todd said, breaking down. "It's just sad to see an old-timer go out like that," DeLeon said of her uncle. "Little Al" never had a bad word for anyone. Every girl was "sweetheart." "Hey, sweetheart," Gifford said, impersonating the old guy "everybody loved." "Every day he was the same," said Kathleen Spence, who was married to Kessleski for 10 years. "No mood changes. He was always happy." They have a 34-year-old son together. Kessleski also leaves behind another son and daughter. He was a great dancer, Spence said. He loved Elvis and the Philadelphia Eagles. And his screwdrivers. Another orange juice-and-vodka concoction sits on the bar in front of Kessleski's stool at Culmone's as well. The chair is tipped, so no one will sit there. His picture marks the spot. "Here and the Ducktown were his family," DeLeon said. Kessleski had worked up until six months ago. He was a dish washer at Resorts Casino Hotel for about 20 years before he was laid off. He also worked at other places, including Culmone's, where he was a sandwich maker. DeLeon credits the police with arresting someone so quickly. She said the detectives were wonderful, and one even called her Tuesday as she talked to a reporter. "He wanted to see how I was and if I needed anything or had any questions," she said. One even sat with her by her uncle's bedside, where she saw the marks of his attack. He had scars on his hands, showing he tried to defend himself from the beating. "I know he didn't go down without a fight," she said, smiling as she held back tears. She knows he was a fighter, until the end. The plan had been to remove Kessleski from life support at noon. He died five minutes before. "He went out the way he lived," she said. "On his own terms." Contact Lynda Cohen: 609-272-7257 [email protected] Service planned A memorial service is tentatively scheduled for Monday at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church. Anyone with information about the beating is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Major Crimes Unit at 609-909-7666. To see more of The Press of Atlantic City, go to http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Press of Atlantic City, Pleasantville, N.J. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |