Fort Worth 'Pizza Guy' Dies A Year After Attack

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - He was known to many as 'Fred the Pizza Guy,' and he used the money he made from tips to help others in need. But one year after being attacked by three teenagers while making a phony delivery, Fred Rein has died. Rein's friends and family say that it never should have happened.

The last 14 months have been beyond difficult for Jackie Rein, after her husband was brutally beaten while doing his job. Jackie had been taking care of Fred around the clock. "From day one of this, he's never been Fred again," Jackie told CBS 11 News.

More recently, Fred started to forget things, like how to eat and the names of people. And just a few weeks ago, he forgot Jackie's name. "You could see he was searching," Jackie recalled. "He said, 'You're a really nice lady, and when I get to go home, I'm going to take you with me.'"

Still, Jackie was not ready to let go of her best friend. Fred made it through Christmas, but then died in his sleep early Thursday morning. "The doctor had recommended that he go to a long-term facility. I said, 'No, I'll think about it after the holidays, but I'm keeping him home for Christmas,'" Jackie said, before breaking into tears.

Jackie is certain that Fred's death was caused by the injuries that he sustained in October 2009. According to the Fort Worth Police Department, three teenagers called in a bogus order to Domino's Pizza, giving the address of a vacant home on Bessie Street. The address was previously the home of one of the attackers. The teens then beat Fred with an aluminum baseball bat before stealing the pizzas and $20.

Fred was left with brain damage and fractures on his face.

Those teenagers were found and convicted. They currently sit behind bars. The Tarrant County District Attorney said that the teens were already convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. They cannot be retried for murder. But after reviewing autopsy results, the District Attorney's Office said, parole for the teenagers could be affected.

Those who work at Domino's Pizza said that they are devestated by news of Fred's death. But according to former employee Susan Gaynor, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. Gaynor worked at Domino's Pizza for 10 years, and said that the neighborhood where Fred was attacked is known to be dangerous. "No other companies would go – Pizza Hut, Papa John's, nobody," Gaynor said. "Many times, police would say, 'We can't believe y'all come here.'"

CBS 11 News tried to contact Domino's Pizza about that policy, but officials never returned calls. Jackie is planning to sue the pizza company.

But for now, Jackie has nothing left but fond memories and some 'get well' cards that arrived from various parts of the country. "There are still a lot of good people out there," Jackie said. "God is good." That is the attitude that is helping her cope with the loss of her husband of 24 years.