WSVN — Edward Panariello had three brothers.
Michael Panariello: "We did everything together: sports, extracurricular activities."
Ed graduated from Nova Southeastern University and then built a successful bookstore on campus that catered to students.
Anthony Panariello: "He grew up sharp as a tack. He built the business up from zero to a seven-figure business."
Very successful, very popular, and for very good reasons.
Michael Panariello: "He was just so outgoing. He would do anything for anybody. That's just the way he was"
In 2001, Edward was in a bad car accident.
Michael Panariello: "And they had to put cages around his spine, and the doctors told him then that the slightest little fall could break his neck."
Then, in 2002, Edward pulled into this drugstore on South Beach, where he got into a traffic dispute with another guy.
Detective Daniel Erben, Miami Beach Police Department: "Witnesses said that Mr. Panariello never threw a punch. However, this person did. Mr. Panariello fell to the ground and sustained a serious head injury."
Edward's brother Michael was a police officer and heard the dispatcher mention his brother's address. He called his father. They rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center.
Anthony Panariello: "As soon as I walked in that room, we both looked at each other and said, 'Whoa. Everything was, it was… we knew then it wasn't going to last."
A few hours later Edward stopped breathing. The sucker punch killed him.
Anthony Panariello: "They always say you're not supposed to bury your kids, but man, that was rough."
That was nearly 11 years ago. Today Edward is still missed, and the name of the killer? Still missing.
Detective Erben: "Witnesses describe him as a Hispanic male between 30 to 35 years of age, approximately six foot."
Today, that killer would be 40 to 50, and it's possible he may not even know he is wanted for murder.
Detective Erben: "The unknown male then got into, from what witnesses said, a white SUV and then fled the scene."
A dispute, maybe that started in traffic and wound up in this parking lot. A punch to the head, and a good man is dead. Today another man is still out there. Eleven years ago he drove a white SUV. Today, detectives hope someone will give them some information so they can drive out to meet him.
Detective Erben: "If anybody has any information, every little bit helps."
Help legally close a case with wounds that will never heal.
Michael Panariello: "I dealt with victims for 25 years. I understood the system. Now our family is the victim. I'm just asking for that one person to come forward."
Each year the family has a mass on Edward's birthday to remember his death and celebrate his too-short life.
Anthony Panariello: "See those pictures? We see them every day. We think about him all the time."
Think about Edward every day, and think about the man who punched him that day and killed him.
Anthony Panariello: "I just hope that this does something, that it wakes somebody up and understand what's happening here and help us."
Help find a Hispanic male, about six feet tall, now in his 40s, who drove a white SUV eleven years ago. Maybe he has a bad temper, maybe he's talked about punching a guy in a South Beach parking lot.
If you know anything, give Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers a call, and if you've lost a loved one and want to remind people how precious their life was, give us a call, and let everyone know you are still Out for Justice.
With this Out for Justice, I'm Patrick Fraser, 7News.
If you have any information on this crime, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Out For Justice: 305-598-HELP (4357)Miami-Dade or 954-796-HELP (4357) in Broward