Party to raise money for comatose fitness trainer
Friends of celebrity fitness trainer Darius Miller, in a coma since being attacked Christmas night, will party Thursday to raise funds for his mounting medical expenses,
As supporters enjoy the "Speakeasy Classic," Miller and his mother Patricia Bonhomme won't be far from their mind, friend Greg Winn said.
"I'm hoping a bunch of good-spirited, good-hearted people will show up and pour all [their good spirits] onto her," said Winn, who has known Miller more than 20 years.
"And maybe she can take that with her next time she visits him and pour that energy out to him until he says, 'Hey, I want to wake up.' "
Miller was beaten by a group of 10 men the night of Dec. 26, police said, after he tried to stop them from videotaping two of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin's daughters outside a nightclub.
He has remained in a coma since, and Bonhomme has been trying to take care of his hospital expenses.
"Most people get short-term insurance, not long-term insurance," said Tabitha Grant, a friend. "It's been six months. That's the reason we're doing the fund-raiser."
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Takeo Spikes and former New York Giants linebacker Carlos Emmons are hosting the "Classic" at Emmons' Brookhaven home.
"The atmosphere will not be somber," said Spikes, a friend and client of Miller. "I would like to look at it as a celebration of him waking up out of his coma,"
Tickets for the benefit are $300 per person and $500 for a couple and will feature live music, food and drinks, and can be bought at the Web site for Emmons' and Spikes' foundation, www.51ways.org. Both Emmons and Spikes wear the number 51 on their football jerseys.
Supporters who can't attend can make donations on the Web site, or at any regional Bank of America to the 51 Ways for Charity Foundation.
Although Bonhomme, Miller's mother, declined an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she has recently been vocal about her wish for justice.
She visits him every Wednesday at the north Georgia hospital where he is under 24-hour care. And Bonhomme told WSB-TV last week that she prays every night "that Darius wakes up and we'll be able to move on with our lives."
One man, Apollo Holmes, was arrested in January on aggravated assault charges, and Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. said Holms could face as much as 40 years in prison.
But Holmes, who has been released on $100,000 bond, hasn't cooperated with police, and investigators haven't found any more suspects.
"That is why we ask people to please help," Howard said.
Spikes called the incident senseless.
"We as people who try to help take care of Darius - our lives have stopped," he said. "But these guys are walking out on the street, nobody's talking, their lives are continuing everyday."
But Winn, Miller's long-time friend, said seeking justice must now take a backseat to Miller's health.
"I don't care about these little kids that jumped on him," Winn said. "I just want him to be better."
By MARCUS K. GARNER
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