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Grieving Family Speaks Out About Fruit Vendor's Murder In South Philadelphia

By Jericka Duncan

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Don Ly was 68 years old. He was a husband, a father of four and a man who was well respected in his community.

He came to the United States, 20 years ago, with his family, from Vietnam. His family says they can't seem to understand why anyone would stab Ly to death, right in front of his home.

A knock on the window alerted Hoanh Ly that his father was in trouble.

"He just fall in my arms, right here," said Ly. "I saw his neck had been cut, I tried to cover his neck."

Someone stabbed, 68-year-old Don Ly, seven times.

It happened around 5:30 Thursday morning on Vollmer Street in South Philadelphia.  Ly was preparing to take his Fruit Salad Truck to University City; something he had done for the last 15 years.

"One second he's a person, the next second he's a corpse," said the victim's son. "It's just very, very hard to take."

Inside Ly's home, a memorial made up of flowers and food. It's an offering, says the family, to a man who gave so much to his wife, his four children and his community.

Saturday neighbors stopped by the house expressing their condolences.

Ly says the police tell him, they have no good leads.

The family is praying that a plea to whoever is responsible, will force the suspect to turn themselves in.

"I don't think you can go to sleep during the night and open your eyes and know you done something to a great, great man, the way that he was," said Hoanh Ly, the victim's oldest son.

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