The Murdered
Chafic “Steve” Ezzeddine
Roxbury Township, New Jersey
Chafic Ezzeddine, or “Steve” as most knew him as, was a 70 year old, hard working family man who owned the Kenvil Diner on Route 46 in Roxbury Township, New Jersey. He grew up in a small town in Lebanon, called Abadieh, in the mountains east of Beirut. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1971, and his wife Amal, in 1973. The couple opened the Kenvil Diner in 1983.
On Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, May 28th of 2011, Steve closed his diner at 2:00 p.m. He was to head home after finishing closing. His wife stayed with him until closing, then headed to an evening church service which she always attended. Upon arriving home after church a short time after 6:00 p.m, Amal noticed that her husband still was not home. She headed back to the Kenvil Diner to look for him. She headed inside the Diner, to find the door unlocked, but the hanging sign on the door was switched from “Open” to “Closed.”
Steve’s lifeless body was discovered in the kitchen area with multiple stab wounds. Amal stated to the press, “I saw the car still there. I went inside. The door was open. I ran to the back, I saw blood all over. I came to the cooking area; I saw him there, with blood all over. By the cash register, everywhere.” The phone receiver was found on the floor, and Amal used it to call police at 6:35 p.m.
During the investigation, A witness reported seeing Steve taking out his garbage to the dumpster between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Another witness reported hearing Steve’s car alarm going off between 5:30 and 6 p.m.
Two persons of interest were eventually revealed, a dark-skinned male with a white shirt and a backpack, and a thinner dark-skinned male wearing light colored shorts and a dark colored shirt. The second male may drive a green 1994-1996 Toyota Camry. They were both seen in the vicinity during the time the murder occurred. (Pictures above.)
Steve and Amal had three sons together, who miss their father dearly. They go through each day hoping and praying for justice for a hard working, caring, and loving man they called “Dad.”
If you have any information that would be helpful to investigators, I urge you to please contact the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-6150, the Roxbury Township Police Department at 973-448-2049, or the Morris County Sheriff’s Crime Stopper Program at 973-267-2255. Or visit http://www.morriscrimestoppers.org.
Sources:
https://www.kenvildiner.com/index.html
https://www.njherald.com/story/news/crime/2018/05/31/2011-murder-kenvil-diner-owner/4146605007/
https://www.nj.com/morris/2016/05/5_years_after_diner_owners_memorial_day_murder_fam.html
https://abc7ny.com/cold-case-diner-murder-steve-ezzeddine/10707896/
https://patch.com/new-jersey/jefferson/diner-owner-s-killer-still-being-sought-in-morris-county
https://patch.com/new-jersey/hopatcong-sparta/person-of-interest-named-in-roxbury-murder
https://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/crime/morris-county/2018/06/01/who-killed-owner-kenvil-diner-killer-remains-mystery/663853002/
https://www.morriscountynj.gov/Morris-County-News/Morris-Prosecutor-Seek-Public-Help-to-Solve-2011-Murder-of-Kenvil-Diner-Owner
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/roxbury/sections/police-and-fire/articles/ten-years-pass-as-roxbury-homicide-remains-unsolved
https://www.morriscountynj.gov/Departments/Prosecutor/Prosecutor-Press-Releases/2011-Kenvil-murder-remains-unsolved
https://patch.com/new-jersey/mendham-chester/seven-years-later-kenvil-diner-owners-murder-still-unsolved
https://www.nj.com/morris/2013/11/former_kenvil_diner_up_for_lease_more_than_2_years_after_owners_slaying.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/morris-county-police-release-pictures-of-persons-of-interest-in-murder-of-kenvil-diner-owner/
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/reward-offered-in-killing-of-nj-diner-owner-chafic-ezzeddine/
https://pix11.com/news/local-news/new-jersey/three-sons-seek-killer-of-new-jersey-diner-owner/
https://dailyvoice.com/nj/parsippany-troy-hills/police-fire/decade-later-murder-of-beloved-nj-father-diner-owner-remains-unsolved-50k-reward-for-arrest/809873/
https://abc7ny.com/murder-reward-cold-case-roxbury-township/2047312/ https://abc7.com/archive/8182852/
The Lost & The Taken 
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