had planned a big Ïã¸ÛÁùºÍ¿ª½±ÀúÊ·¼Ç¼ blowout for his childhood buddy's surprise bachelor party. The group would watch LSU play Florida in the heated Southeastern Conference series, then head to a well-known Tigerland bar for live music before retiring to a short-term rental.Â
"This past weekend was supposed to be a celebration," said Doreen Cheramie Coulon, mother of the groom.
Nobody expected the night's tragic turn, which left Repath, 26, in the hospital after a fistfight broke out at Fred's Bar & Grill. On Saturday morning, he died of blunt force trauma from the injuries, according to the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÍ¿ª½±ÀúÊ·¼Ç¼ coroner.Â
Now, there will be an empty spot at the wedding in Mexico next month. And many questions remain about the impetus for the deadly fight.
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÍ¿ª½±ÀúÊ·¼Ç¼ police had made no arrests as of press time.
"It’s painful to watch a great family mourn the loss of such an awesome father and friend," Coulon said. "It’s devastating to watch your son go through this ... We’re just in disbelief."
Childhood friends
Repath met the groom when they attended Visitation of Our Lady School in Marrero. Later, both attended Archbishop Shaw High School, Coulon said. She adored Repath for his "infectious smile" and "love for life."
"Of all my son’s friends we had a special bond," Coulon said. "He made my heart happy."
The two friends stayed close, even though both were raising young children. They were looking forward to the destination wedding. Even their respective girlfriends were close friends. And the surprise bachelor party offered the group of busy young adults the rare chance to spend time together.
The group watched the Tigers' disappointing loss at a crowded Alex Box Stadium and then headed to Fred's.
Another LSU alumnus who was road-tripping with two Norwegian friends from Los Angeles to New Orleans also made a stop at Fred's late Friday. He knew the right-off-campus fixture at 1184 Bob Pettit Boulevard offered fun, rowdy times.
"I was like, 'You guys wanna see the coolest college bar in America?' " said the witness, who asked not to be named.
The group was sitting on a bench with drinks, having "one of those 1:30 a.m. chats you have at a bar" when fisticuffs erupted.
"Not 10 feet away, there was the most savage fighting," he said. "This guy was just whaling on the victim ... I was like, 'This is way too much. This guy is hitting him way too hard.' "
The witness said he saw a lean, scrappy man who stood about 5'7" tall bludgeon Repath's head and torso with his fists in what started as a scrum of three or four people and became a pileup of seven or eight as more intervened.
"There were multiple swinging hands," he said. "I'm not completely sure who was doing what ... I have never seen anything get out of hand like this."
Instinct took over, and the witness said he started pulling the man off Repath as bouncers sprinted over. The assault wasn't easy to stop.Â
All in all, the fight lasted less than a minute.
"In 30-40 seconds, you can do a lot of damage," he said.
Bouncers escorted the assailant out, he said. Repath went to a hospital, unconscious. He died hours later. He was an organ donor who saved seven lives, Coulon said.
Patrick Sloane-Turner contributed to this report.
