Chilling final call from doorman killed at Elliott Wright’s Marbella restaurant on night he died as Brit arrested
THE doorman who lost his life at the Towie star Elliott Wright’s restaurant made a chilling last call just half an hour before he died.
His devastated widow revealed that Jose Rafael Pisani Pardo, who died following an alleged assault as he tried to break up a fight, rang her that night and told her he was worried about “drunk customers”.
Personal trainer Romina Acuna said she spoke on the phone with the dad-of-two just before he suffered the devastating head injuries that ended with his death in intensive care the following evening.
Speaking to Malaga newspaper Sur, she recalled Jose’s last call around midnight before he was left badly injured in the early hours of Sunday morning.
She said: “He said he would be home soon.
“I told him I wanted him to come as soon as possible. But he never returned.”
She also revealed he was “frightened” because there were a lot of drunken customers and she replied by telling him to be careful.
Romina who previously described her husband as the “love of my life” added that the couple were planning to start a family and wanted to set up a new business in the Canary Islands selling sports supplements.
The pair had tied the knot in Las Vegas five months ago.
Saying he was planning on quitting his job as a doorman after the summer, she said: “He never liked working at night but in the summers it paid well and for a night like last weekend he could earn 150 euros.”
It comes as a British man aged 32 was arrested yesterday, in the upmarket Costa del Sol resort of Marbella over Jose’s death.
He is expected to appear in court later today or tomorrow where a judge will decide whether to remand him in custody or release him on bail.
Dramatic footage released on Tuesday shows the moment Spanish police arrested the 32-year-old Brit wanted over the bouncer’s death.
He is seen being led away in handcuffs following his detention in Marbella.
He has not been named and has only been identified so far by his initials – HGJS.
A Civil Guard spokesman said: “With regards to the death of a person following an assault, the Civil Guard in Mijas with the support of the GAR unit, have arrested the alleged author in Marbella.
“He is a British national, who had been on the run since the incident.
“He has been arrested on suspicion of causing the death of the person who lost his life following the incident at a restaurant in La Cala de Mijas.”
Jose sustained serious injuries trying to break up a fight between customers and it is believed he had been pushed or punched and lost his balance.
Sources said the 55-year-old had been declared brain dead and had a life support machine switched off after being left seriously injured trying to stop the argument.
The doorman hit his head on the corner of a table as he tried to intervene, according to local reports but sources said he hit the back of his head directly on the floor and not a table, saying he went down as he tried to eject one of the unruly customers.
One said: “The local reports talk of a group of people fighting but it was between two people.
“The doorman went down as he tried to eject one of the two men.”
Meanwhile, Elliott Wright revealed he is “absolutely devastated” over the loss of his “dear friend” and paid tribute to a “wonderful human being.”
The statement posted to Instagram reads: “I am absolutely devastated at the loss of Jose – he was a dear friend, and colleague.
“The entire time are gearing a wonderful human-being and I am supporting them.”
The dad-of-three continued: “I have know Jose for over a decade – he has been a friendly face since I moved to Spain. Over time he became a great friend & colleague.”
Officers took away CCTV footage from Elliot’s restaurant after it was targeted by vandals with spray paint.
The CCTV footage showed a man punching Jose after breaking free of him as he tried to restrain him following an outbreak of violence at the restaurant, Diario Sur reported.