Dixon Community Rallies Around Father Stabbed 15 Times During Nightly Walk
DIXON (CBS13) — A Dixon father is recovering after being robbed and stabbed 15 times while walking to a convenience store.
The suspects are still on the loose, but a glimmer of hope for the victim and his family comes as the community bands together with an outpouring of support, taking care of their meals for the next month.
"He could have died. He fought hard for his life," said Diana Huitron.
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A 34-year-old father of four was stabbed more than 15 times while on his nightly walk to a 7-Eleven in Dixon, less than a block from his home.
"He feels like maybe it was somebody on drugs just out to get whoever was going to walk by there that night."
It happened on Aug. 20 in an alleyway behind the store. Leo Huitron was on his way to grab dessert for his family when he was approached by two men who demanded he hand over whatever he had.
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"And then they didn't give him a chance to even try to give them anything before the guy started stabbing him," said Diana Huitron.
The victim was stabbed in the chest, stomach, and arm. Today, he's healing well thanks to multiple surgeries and support from strangers.
"Because when it's our neighbors and there's a need that's what we do, 'cause it's Dixon," said Jessi Besseghini.
Besseghini heard about what happened through a friend of the family. She knows how much a simple meal can mean during tough times, so she created an online meal sign up and the community quickly got on board, offering to bring meals to the family for the next month.
Leo, who is the main provider for his family, will be out of work for a few months. The family says this help relieves a lot of pressure.
"It really feels good to know that there might be one person out there that could have hurt him, but there's a 100,000 more that are blanketing him and showing them that there's still good people out there," said Diana Huitron.
Offering comfort through food, the Dixon community is lifting spirits following a brutal attack.
"I think it just gives him a peace of mind that we're going to be alright," said Diana.
The family says aside from making a full recovery, their goal is to also get the men who did this behind bars. Dixon police are asking anyone with information to give them a call.
