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The fiance of a suburban businessman who was stabbed to death in Chicago is speaking out.
Mike Beedle was outside a bar on State Street around 2:30 in the morning. He had a large amount of cash. Police say his attacker stabbed him repeatedly with a five-inch knife and fled.
“We had dreams, plans, we were just a normal happy family,” said Barbara Misiur.
Misiur was the fiance of Mike Beedle, the Park Ridge businessman who was stabbed to death in the early morning hours outside a bar three weeks ago. They've had three kids and were planning a trip to Poland next week to formally tie the knot. Misuir says she' can't understand why her fiance’s alleged killer was out on the street.
“This person was 98 times arrested and was mentally ill,” she said.
Two weeks after the murder, police charged 56-year-old Gino Bassett with the murder. His defense attorney says he has schizophrenia and is on numerous medications.
Community activist Andrew Holmes says Bassett's criminal past includes nearly a hundred arrests.
“This could have been prevented. Maybe with this guy's second arrest. When you evaluate a person who has behavioral problems, instead of waiting on a ticking time bomb. This family wouldn't have been without their father,” Holmes said.
Misiur says she and her fiance had lived in Park Ridge in part because they were afraid of the crime in downtown Chicago.
“We wanted to be safe and raise our children in a safe place. We didn't want to stay in Chicago,” Misiur said.
Misiur says her fiance was passionate about his consulting business, and his family.
Gino Bassett is being held without bond.
“Something has to be done because this can happen again, and will happen again if we change nothing. I ask myself how many Gino Bassetts are out there on the streets. Many for sure,” Misiur said.