CASA GRANDE, AZ — A barbershop owner was badly beaten last month. Casa Grande police confirmed it happened during a robbery inside the man's store. He passed away just days later but police are awaiting autopsy results to determine if that was connected to his injuries. His family is now looking for answers in the attack of their loved one.
Thirty-six-year-old Frankie Carrera was known as a popular barber in Casa Grande. He opened up his shop seven years ago but now it's gone.
"He was very important. He was really important to the community and was loved by many," says Anna Carrera, Frankie's mother.
Just last month, Anna Carrera received a call to pick up her son Frankie from his business, Black Diamond Cuts, right off 2nd St.
She later learned he had been attacked. Casa Grande police tell us they responded to the scene to investigate.
"He was bleeding a lot and he told me, 'You know, mom, stay here.' He felt comfortable with me there and that's something that a parent doesn't want to see. That really, really broke me," says Frankie's mother.
Police have not yet revealed any specifics on the attack, but Frankie's family says he told them he was badly beaten by two people.
"My son did tell me that they grabbed him; they slammed him against the wall. They pushed him on the floor, kicking him and stomping him on his face and his head," says Frankie Carrera Sr., Frankie's father.
Frankie passed away just three days later.
"I definitely think that's what caused his death," says Frankie's father.
Casa Grande police tell us they are awaiting autopsy results to determine the next steps.
They had not announced any arrests as of Tuesday. As investigators work to pinpoint a motive behind the robbery, Frankie's family is left grieving.
"No one deserves that and we don't deserve that," says Frankie's mother.
