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Pizzeria Opens After October Slayings

Three People Charged In Shooting

POSTED: 8:03 am CST January 21, 2008
UPDATED: 12:51 pm CST January 21, 2008

After sitting idle for three months after a fatal shooting, the Bellacino's Pizzeria on White Bridge Road reopened on Monday.

Related: Bellacino's Reopens | Video | Video | Video

The restaurant has been closed since two employees, Chris Caris and Joshua Cole, were killed during an October robbery.

The grand reopening was met with some sadness as returning employees gathered just before opening to remember their slain coworkers.

"I think it’ll get easier as the days pass," said owner Chris Thompson.

Thompson said the time off gave everyone a chance to heal. After getting a facelift and garnering a lot of support from the community, Thompson said it was time to reopen.

"We realized, you know, it is the right thing to do," he said.

The restaurant underwent not only a cosmetic change, but management also made changes to upgrade surveillance video cameras and the store will also no longer accept cash as payment; only checks, debit and credit cards are accepted as payment.

"We felt like if we take the cash off the premises and let it be known, then we would be much less of a target," Thompson said.

Three people have been charged in the slayings, including Jason Bobo and Crystal Rutherford, who have both been charged with murder.

As a tribute to Cole and Caris, 25 percent of this week's sales will go to their memorial funds. A memorial plaque in their honor hangs inside the store.

Thompson said that all of the managers and over half of the employees that were working at the time of the slayings decided to return to work.


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