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Businessman Pat Dunn killed in Ecuador

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

(posted 4 p.m. Friday, May 19, 2006)

Well-known San JosÃ© businessman Pat Dunn died early Thursday in Manta, Ecuador, when he confronted burglars in his bar.

Dunn, a Costa Rican as well as a U.S. citizen, spent at least 25 years in San JosÃ© and was know to many visitors as the jovial operator of the New York Bar. He also operated the Piano Blanco Bar on the capital's boulevard until it was displaced a year ago by a construction project of the Hotel Balmoral.

A family member said that Dunn was asleep in his bar in Manta, Nashville South, when intruders woke him up. He fought with them. Death was believed caused by stab wounds.
The La Hora newspaper in Qquito reported he had been stabbed nine times.

The newspaper speculated that the killers came for the cash that Dunn kept on hand, perhaps as much as $1,500.

Dunn, 68, said that Ecuador was like the Costa Rica he knew when he first arrived here. He started up the Nashville South Bar about four years ago and had plans to do more business in Ecuador.

Manta is a sea port on the Pacific near the Ecuadorean Eloy Alfaro International Airport that is being used by the United States in the fight against drugs. Dunn's bar catered to the North Americans visiting and working there.

Author:	Irish Drifter [ Fri May 19, 2006 6:24 pm ]
Post subject:	Pat Dunn Murdered
A sad story for some of us old timers in Costa Rica and knew Pat. Quote: Businessman Pat Dunn killed in Ecuador By the A.M. Costa Rica staff (posted 4 p.m. Friday, May 19, 2006) Well-known San JosÃ© businessman Pat Dunn died early Thursday in Manta, Ecuador, when he confronted burglars in his bar. Dunn, a Costa Rican as well as a U.S. citizen, spent at least 25 years in San JosÃ© and was know to many visitors as the jovial operator of the New York Bar. He also operated the Piano Blanco Bar on the capital's boulevard until it was displaced a year ago by a construction project of the Hotel Balmoral. A family member said that Dunn was asleep in his bar in Manta, Nashville South, when intruders woke him up. He fought with them. Death was believed caused by stab wounds. The La Hora newspaper in Qquito reported he had been stabbed nine times. The newspaper speculated that the killers came for the cash that Dunn kept on hand, perhaps as much as $1,500. Dunn, 68, said that Ecuador was like the Costa Rica he knew when he first arrived here. He started up the Nashville South Bar about four years ago and had plans to do more business in Ecuador. Manta is a sea port on the Pacific near the Ecuadorean Eloy Alfaro International Airport that is being used by the United States in the fight against drugs. Dunn's bar catered to the North Americans visiting and working there.

Author:	Californicationdude [ Fri May 19, 2006 7:27 pm ]
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ID, was he also the current owner of the New York Bar? or had he sold it before moving to Ecuador? anyway, I'm sorry to read of this terrible news.

Author:	Irish Drifter [ Fri May 19, 2006 7:36 pm ]
Post subject:
Californicationdude wrote: ID, was he also the current owner of the New York Bar? or had he sold it before moving to Ecuador? anyway, I'm sorry to read of this terrible news. He was not the owner of the present NY Bar. He operated the "old" NY Bar which was next to the Morazan Hotel. The building was bought by the owners of the Del Rey and they ripped down the building. He sold the operation to the owners of the "new" NYB 3 or 4 years ago.

Author:	Orange [ Fri May 19, 2006 7:45 pm ]
Post subject:
Stabbed 9 times.... OUCH!!! If I'm sleeping in my business, I have a gun under my pillow. But that's me.

Author:	Zebra [ Fri May 19, 2006 7:55 pm ]
Post subject:
Does this Dunn have any connection to the DUNN INN located near Zona Blue, or is this just a coincidence with the names? Zebra

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Pat Dunn Murdered https://forum.costaricaticas.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11777	Page 1 of 2

Author:	Dongordo [ Fri May 19, 2006 7:56 pm ]
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Pat was a good friend and I will miss him.

Author:	Circus [ Sat May 20, 2006 9:26 am ]
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YO: DAMMIT !! I hated to hear this. I considered Pat as being a good hombre as well as a seemingly good business man. I hope they catch the bastards that killed him. Hey DG, do you know if Pat kept a gun in the old bar? Rest in Peace..............

Author:	Prolijo [ Sat May 20, 2006 10:34 am ]
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I didn't know Pat but I find this story interesting in light of recent posts that have been made about the growing crime problem in the Gulch and the ways in which SJ has changed for the worse from the days when it was not so well known and travelled. Pat survived 25 years in SJ and after 4 years in Ecuador is murdered down there. It kind of makes you wonder how despite all the buzz about SJ's growing crime problem it is all really relative and that there are worse (ie unsafer) areas. It also makes you wonder that if "Ecuador was like the Costa Rica he knew when he first arrived here", whether that is entirely a positive thing. Finally it also might make some who are considering moving on to greener pastures now that CR has been "ruined", wonder whether the grass really is all entirely greener on the other side. I'm just sort of thinking out loud here. I'd be curious to hear other's thoughts on this subject, but perhaps that would be best saved for a sperate thread.

Author:	TicaFan [ Sat May 20, 2006 10:44 am ]
Post subject:
Is Ecuador said to be like SJO a a fews back?

Author:	Veelee [ Sat May 20, 2006 11:01 am ]
Post subject:	Lucky's
That was a shock. He is the second owner of Lucky's (Piano Blanco) to die the same way. I guess the bar was not well named. The Nashville South web site is still up. http://home.earthlink.net/~jsiservices/index.html To answer an earlier question, I believe Pat had something to do with the Dunn Inn about 10 years ago, but was not involved with the place for quite some time. I talked to him about Ecuador on a few occasions, though one friend who went to Manto, who was not involved with the bar, was not at all impressed. Naturally the partners who were selling the place spoke glowingly.

Author:	PacoLoco [ Sat May 20, 2006 11:32 am ]
Post subject:
Prolijo wrote: I'd be curious to hear other's thoughts on this subject, but perhaps that would be best saved for a sperate thread. TicaFan wrote: Is Ecuador said to be like SJO a a fews back? Another thread on the topic... https://costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11780

Author:	Irish Drifter [ Sat May 20, 2006 12:26 pm ]
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Zebra wrote: Does this Dunn have any connection to the DUNN INN located near Zona Blue, or is this just a coincidence with the names? Zebra Not a coincidence. He was one of the partners in the Dunn's Inn. He also was involved in Big Nashville (now Centerfolds), Nashville South and I am told Happy Days. All in all he was a fixture in the gulch and anyone who came here in the late eighties and the nineties almost certainly knew him. RIP

Author:	Zebra [ Sat May 20, 2006 12:46 pm ]
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Veelee and ID, Thanks for the info......which brings to mind another question......did Mr. Dunn have any connection to the NASHVILLE BAR in San Jose? The bar, which if I remember correctly, is near the Centerfolds Club? Is this the Nashville South you are referring to? When I was last in the Nashville Bar in San Jose, it appeared to be run by a large, blonde "Dukes of Hazzard" looking man, who indeed appeared as though he could have originated from the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee [not that there's anything wrong with that]. Zebra

Author:	Irish Drifter [ Sat May 20, 2006 1:15 pm ]
Post subject:
Zebra, Yes Nashville South which is just south of the west side of Parque Morazan was owned by Pat at one time.

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Author:	Chi_trekker [ Sat May 20, 2006 1:28 pm ]
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Maybe this is just coincedence??? I met an American and I forget his name at the Dunn Inn in SJ on my last trip. He claimed to have lived in CR for many years and now he lives in Ecuador and operates a bar. He also claimed to have been a partner in the Dunn Inn many years back. He knew my novias family as her sister used to work at the front desk at the Dunn Inn. My guess is that it is a small world down there. I have to believe I met Pat. He seemed very well entwined with the Latino culture. He was very content with life in Latin America. Something I aspire to achieve. I'm very sorry and sad about the news.