Wife of 74-year-old manslaughter victim recalls Saturday's tragedy in Fells Point

The white roses sitting on the coffee table are beautiful, but more than anything, Mary Margaret Philpot wishes they weren't necessary. "The neighbors, just - flowers were this morning. There's muffins and fruit. There's a grocery delivery. I mean, they're endless. But it doesn't change the fact that Dave's not here," Philpot, through tears, told WMAR-2 News' Elizabeth Worthington on Monday morning.

Dave and Mary Margaret made Fells Point their home in 2014. After years of visits, sparked by a 2004 article in the New York Times travel section, the couple had fallen in love with the area, especially how friendly all the neighbors were. Very quickly, Dave became one of those friendly neighbors too. "There isn't anyone you would speak that wouldn't say what a great guy he was," Mary Margaret said. "He had this great Kentucky accent, this deep Sam Elliott voice, and he made you laugh because he had these Dave-isms like, how are you Dave? Oh if I was any better, Id be twins. I mean, just these constant funny things."

On Saturday, August 17, Dave did something he did all the time. He took their dog, Chip, for a walk around the block. His wife was working, hosting a food tour in Little Italy, when she got a phone call from him. "He doesnt call me when Im working. So Im like, uh-oh, somethings wrong,'" she recalled. He told her he'd just been assaulted near the intersection of Eastern Avenue and South Broadway. The incident was captured by surveillance cameras at the business across the street.

Dave was taken to the hospital. Mary Margaret was able to see and speak to him there. He was in a lot of pain. And in the ER, he had a cardiac arrest. They revived him, and took him to the ICU, and he didnt make it through the night, Mary Margaret said. She says he has pulmonary hypertension. "The last words that he said were, I can't breathe, I can't breathe. I'm gonna pass out," she recalled. Mary Margaret is relieved Clinedinst is off the street for the sake of her neighbors, but says it doesn't bring her husband back. "I just want everyone to know this man did a horrible thing to a wonderful person." A GoFundMe has been started by Route One Apparel, a retail partner of E.C. Pops, where Mary Margaret has been a long-time employee. She still works there part-time. Haven City Church also shared this post on Facebook in Dave's honor. He started volunteering as a CDL driver for the church about a month ago.