In the winter of 2015, a long-simmering family conflict in Bradford, Pennsylvania, culminated in the death of 42-year-old Melvin Bizzarro. On the morning of Friday, January 16, 2015, Bizzarro was shot in the chest and killed in the parking lot of Togi's Family Restaurant, a business he had once co-owned with his estranged wife. The man arrested and charged with his death was his 62-year-old father-in-law, Stephen Stidd.
The shooting was the tragic end to a history of acrimony between the
two men. Stidd had sold the restaurant to his daughter, Michelle, and Bizzarro in 2007. However, the couple's subsequent marital problems and impending divorce appeared to be at the center of the ongoing strife. At the time of the shooting, a marital settlement agreement was in place that stipulated Bizzarro was not to be on the restaurant's property. The troubled history between the men was not a secret; in June 2005, Bizzarro had been convicted of assaulting Stidd at the same restaurant, an incident that resulted in Stidd's hospitalization and Bizzarro serving jail time.
Following the shooting, Stidd was taken into custody at the scene after his wife called 911. Investigators discovered what they believed to be evidence of premeditation: a bullet with the name 'MEL' carved into it was found in Stidd's. 38 caliber handgun. Stidd was charged with criminal homicide. His defense attorney argued that Stidd acted in self-defense, stating that Bizzarro was trespassing at the time of the fatal encounter.
The case proceeded to trial, where the complex and volatile relationship between the two men was laid bare. Despite the prosecution's charge of homicide, Stephen Stidd's legal team maintained his plea of self-defense. In November 2017, after a trial that delved deep into the family's turbulent past, a jury deliberated for just over 50 minutes before returning a verdict. Stephen Stidd was found not guilty of all charges and was acquitted in the death of his son-in-law.
