Slow progress for a Bellevue man beaten and left for dead

The young man beaten and left for dead on a Bellevue street last week is now out of intensive care. Colleen Aylward says her 24-year-old son, J.D., is now in acute care at Harborview Medical Center.

“He’s agitated. He’s confused,” says Colleen, “He doesn’t really understand why all his friends are around and we won’t help him escape from here.

J.D. is having trouble with his short term memory. Doctors tell his family that is normal for this type of traumatic brain injury. But, it means he has not been able to recall the attack.

“He doesn’t know, and we’re just not supposed to talk about that in case we plant things in his mind. We want him to regain some memory so he can have original thought,” Colleen says.

J.D. was out with friends at the Munch Bar in Bellevue the night of September 22. There had been a wedding earlier, and he had left with some of the other guests to continue the celebration.

At around 2:20 a.m. on Sunday, J.D. made one final phone call to let his friends know he was getting a ride home from the bar. At 4 a.m. his bloody body was discovered on 140th Street in Bellevue, just a few blocks from his house. He had been beaten and left for dead.

In the days since, J.D. has been making slow but steady progress in his recovery. He is now conscious and able to move his arms and legs. He is not yet walking or feeding himself.

“Will we ever get J.D. back?” Colleen wonders. “Three years from now he may be able to walk and talk just fine, it’s his heart and soul that we’re looking for.”

The assault remains an open investigation with the Bellevue Police Department. Detectives have not yet tried to question J.D. They are waiting for him to recover some memory before putting him through an interview.