A California man was murdered on his wedding day while to protect his guests at the reception, his family says.
Joe Melgoza, 30, was with family and friends from Saturday night into Sunday morning as they celebrated his marriage in his sister’s backyard in Chino.
Cops say two brothers who lived nearby crashed the wedding uninvited and were asked to leave. The family says they returned with bats.
The groom’s brothers say the intruders attacked a guest. The family says Melgoza pursued the men into a dark alley and was pulled into a house and beaten. Published reports said Melgoza's battered body was found in the backyard of another home.
The groom is survived by his bride and an 11-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. His mother will now care for the child.
“No one knew where my brother was, they took him,” his brother said. “These two men, they are not men, they are monsters. Men would never do this to somebody.”
The family says it was the happiest day of Melgoza's life and that he was a good man with “a heart of gold.”
The two brothers who allegedly crashed the wedding were arrested Sunday on suspicion of murder and are being held without bail, police said.
His emotional mother told Inside Edition, “I don’t know what I am going to do without my son.”
The family has set up a GoFundMe page in an effort to help pay for funeral costs, for more information, click here.
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