Justin Moore, the second victim in the stabbing that occurred at the clocktower plaza in downtown Santa Cruz on March 21, died over the weekend, according to his mother, Terri Jekot. Moore, 42, had been on life support at Stanford University Medical Center for about two weeks until he was taken off this past weekend.
“He was a very generous, caring, loving, giving person,” said Jekot, who recently returned to her Florida home. She said Moore left his home in Okeechobee for California around 2006, and had a goal to help the unhoused community.
“I got a couple of messages from a couple of young ladies that are homeless,” she said, “and they told me that when they became homeless as teenagers, he kept them safe.”
Moore was one of two victims stabbed near the clocktower plaza during the weekly meal distribution by nonprofit Food Not Bombs. Jekot said she has since stayed in touch with Santa Cruz police and a victim advocate.
Eyewitnesses told Lookout that they saw the two people stabbed by a man, who allegedly started the altercation. A Food Not Bombs volunteer said the confrontation began when the stabbing suspect, who was arrested and identified as 32-year-old Robert David Worel, cut the food line, angering the person behind him. A fistfight allegedly broke out shortly after, leading to Worel pulling a knife.
It is unclear if Moore was the person behind Worel. The other victim, another man in his 40s, was released from the hospital several days after the incident.
Lookout has asked the Santa Cruz Police Department about how Worel’s case might change given Moore’s death, such as additional charges being filed. Department spokesperson Katie Lee said that no new information was immediately available, but that she would provide an update this week.
Jekot said her son suffered several serious health crises while on life support, including heart attacks and a seizure.
She said that she and Moore had grown apart after he left Florida. She said that Moore had run into some legal troubles over the years, mostly related to drugs and alcohol. Over time, she grew frustrated that Moore appeared to fall in with the wrong crowd.
“I’ll support you any way I can,” she said, “but once you go into jail, I’m sorry, that’s on you.” She added, however, that Moore did not have drugs or alcohol in his system at the hospital.
Despite his troubles, Jekot said her son was a good person.
“His goal was to keep young people safe from the harm of living on the street,” she said. “He was a good guy … into martial arts, surfing, skateboarding, and he just loved life.”
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