As Jake Kraus continues to recover from a brutal attack in September, friends and family will host a benefit dinner for him on Saturday, November 9, 2024 at the Black Eagle Community Center.

Kraus was assaulted in downtown Great Falls on Sept. 8 by two young adults and a juvenile.

After nearly a month at Benefis Health System, he was transferred to Craig Hospital in Denver, which specializes in traumatic brain injury rehabilitation.

Video from October 2nd:

Great Falls shooting victim continues to recover

While insurance covers much of his treatment, travel costs and out-of-pocket expenses have added up for Jake and his wife Chrissy, who have had to miss weeks of work to care for their husband and 4-year-old son. Embitter.

Jake will soon transfer to another facility in Nebraska for additional care.

“He’s making progress every day. It still has very slow processing. Like he can’t read instructions and then build something. I had him try to build a race car track with my son a Hot Wheels track and he couldn’t do it,” Chrissy said. “He can’t cook. He still can’t be left alone, but he can walk and carry on a conversation, which is a blessing, given that the new images they got there are more catastrophic than the Benefis imaging showed.”

The benefit dinner, organized in part by Chrissy’s friend Destany Swan, will help ease some of the family’s burden.

“The extent of his injury and what the family needs is not just temporary. It’s going to be a very long and even lifelong journey,” Swan told MTN. “That’s why it’s so necessary to support them and that’s why I’ve worked so hard for it.”

The event, which runs from 2 to 8 p.m., will include a live auction from 5 to 6 p.m., a silent auction, live music from four different musicians and an Indian taco feed.

There’s also a GoFundMe where people can donate if they can’t attend the fundraiser – click here if you want to help.

ACCUSED SUSPECTS
Ethanel Philip Pherigo, 19, was charged with one count of aggravated assault and one count of robbery because surveillance video of the attack allegedly showed Pherigo going through the victim’s pockets. He pleaded not guilty to all charges at a court hearing at the beginning of this monthand has a trial date set for January 27, 2025.

Shaun Anthony Deberry, also 19, appeared in court on Thursday, October 17, for arraignment. He was charged with one count of aggravated assault, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years if convicted. Deberry has pleaded not guilty and has a court date set for February 10, 2025.

The third suspect, 14-year-old Jesse James Edwards, Jr., was charged as an adult with one count of attempted first degree murder and one count of aggravated assault.