SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Nearly 3 months after a brutal beating left him with severe brain damage and little hope of survival, 28-year-old Junior Estrada is defying the odds — sitting up, answering questions, and taking steps at a rehab facility.
Authorities say Estrada was beaten and left for dead outside his City Heights apartment after an encounter with a man described as a known transient. His head was slammed into the pavement, according to police. A microwave discovered nearby may have also been used, though that remains unclear.
His father, Johnny Castillo, and his wife found Estrada near their apartment minutes after he went outside to confront a man known for sleeping outside their window and waking up the complex with yelling.
"Face up, bleeding, struggling to breathe," Castillo said.
A 41-year-old suspect was detained blocks away. Estrada was rushed to a hospital, where tests showed severe brain damage. Estrada underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.
"Doctors said he wouldn't wake up," Castillo said in an interview in May.
A few weeks after the assault, Estrada opened his eyes. Then came the "rock on" sign he loves to make.
“Yea, buddy, yeah!" Castillo is heard yelling, in cellphone video in May.
On Thursday morning, I met with Estrada at the Select Specialty Hospital in Hillcrest, a long-term acute rehab facility where he listened — and then answered questions with short responses, showing just how far he has come.
"How are you doing?" I asked.
"Good," Estrada said.
"Do you know your parents think of you as their miracle?"
"Yes," Estrada said.
Estrada does not remember the attack but continues to make remarkable progress — from standing with assistance to moving his left hand.
"They said he wouldn't eat. He eats. Everything they say he wouldn't do, he's done," Castillo said.
"So we have a grip in his left hand. His left side was supposed to be dead," Castillo said.
After the original story aired, ABC 10News viewers responded on social media with offers of prayer. Pastors contacted the family and led prayers.
"Unbelievable the amount of support. It's a blessing," Castillo said.
For Castillo, watching his son's recovery has been emotional.
"I tell him every day I'm so proud of you. I get choked up. I know he's got a long way to go, but he's coming back," Castillo said.
The suspect, 41-year-old Phillip Hightower, is scheduled for a mental competency hearing in mid-August.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help make the family's home handicap accessible.
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