Man shot at Chabad House dies

West Boca Raton, FL – In the nine months since he was shot twice in the back by a fellow worshiper during Rosh Hashanah services, Jonathan Samuels seemed to be on the road to recovery, according to his brother-in-law, Steve Katz.

On July 3, Samuels was admitted to Boca Raton Community Hospital for chest pain, Katz said. The 44-year-old died the next morning.

“The whole family is just traumatized and in a tremendous state of grief,” Katz said. “We don’t know anything.”

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office investigators are awaiting autopsy results from the Medical Examiner’s Office, according to Sheriff’s Office spokesman Paul Miller, who said Samuels suffered blood clots the day before he died. Samuels still had at least one bullet lodged in his body, Miller said.

“We first have to determine whether his cause of death was related to the shooting,” Miller said.

If Samuels’ death resulted from injuries related to the shooting, investigators will consider asking the State Attorney’s Office to upgrade charges against Marc Benayer, who is charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault. Prosecutors also are awaiting the medical examiner’s report before considering upgrading the charges, State Attorney’s Office spokesman Michael Edmondson said.

A native of South Africa, Samuels and his high-school sweetheart Caron, immigrated to the United States in 1994. The couple, parents to a 16-year old daughter and a 14-year-old son, recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.

Orthodox Jews, the Samuels were attending Jewish New Year services Oct. 4 at the Chabad Weltman Synagogue west of Boca Raton when Benayer allegedly asked Samuels to step outside and then opened fire.

After a few weeks in intensive care, Samuels spent two more months recovering at home before beginning physical therapy three times a week. He gradually returned to work at a Pompano electronics-assembly factory that he co-owned.

At a January bond hearing for Benayer, Samuels testified that he became a target of Benayer’s ire after he and business partner Mark Levy tried to help long-time employee Marta Pinto, who said ex-boyfriend Benayer had become verbally abusive and threatening.

Samuels appeared healthy and strong at the hearing, showing no obvious signs of having suffered grave injuries two months earlier. A judge denied bond for Benayer, whose Aug. 23 trial date is in question as a result of issues about his competency.

“Two experts have said he is not competent and we’re waiting for two more,” defense attorney James Eisenberg said Monday. “There are mental-health issues, plus age-related dementia.”

Eisenberg learned of Samuels’ passing on Monday and had not yet informed his client. “I’m sure he’ll feel bad about it,” the lawyer said. “Mr. Samuels was a husband and a father.”

Close to 1,000 people attended Samuels’ funeral, Katz said, adding that the large number of mourners was no surprise considering Samuels’ compassion and altruism toward others.

“[Jonathan] said to me that if he had to do it again, he would have,” Katz recalled of a recent conversation with his brother-in-law. “He just helped people. We’ve examined it so many times. How do you make sense of the unthinkable?”