Jim Malfregeot Opens up About Shooting, Carjacking Incident; Upcoming Movie to Tell Story
By Julie Perine on January 09, 2021
The Sept. 13 shooting of Clarksburg Councilman Jim Malfregeot and the events surrounding it will be featured in the next major movie project of JC Films.
“It’s just such a great story,” said JC Films President/Producer Jason Campbell. “Jim has such love for Clarksburg and pride for the city. He’s a sweet man with a sincere spirit. He wants to do good and I think this movie can spark interest.”
Malfregeot - who was hospitalized in critical condition for several weeks following a gunshot wound - said he was agreeable to the movie project for several reasons.
“First of all, I’ve always had faith in humanity, but now it’s through the roof. I received over 500 get well cards and such an outpouring of love from the community – Clarksburg, Bridgeport and throughout Harrison County – it was just overwhelming,” he said. “Then, on my way to Morgantown (to Ruby Memorial Hospital the evening of the shooting), I crossed over to the other side. I was standing in a wheat field and a voice said, ‘Not yet.’ I’m Catholic. I go to church every Sunday and pray every day. I think God has a plan for me. For me to pass three different times, there still must be something in my future for sure.”
Malfregeot is also in awe of his wife Brenda’s calm presence of mind on the night of the incident.
“People call me a hero for running outside to protect Brenda and (her mom) Joanne, but Brenda is the real hero. She saw me get shot and she was made to pull out of the driveway, not knowing if I was dead or not,” he said. “She was in this vehicle with this guy laying down in the back, his arm between the seats pressing on her leg to go faster and clicking a gun behind her head saying, ‘If you stop, I’m going to shoot you.’
It had all happened so fast. It was a Sunday evening when .jpg)
Brenda was about to take her mother home. They were out in the driveway about to get in the vehicle when Jim remembered he wanted to tell her something. From the breakfast table where he was watching a TV news show, he opened the kitchen window to yell to her.
Brenda was about to take her mother home. They were out in the driveway about to get in the vehicle when Jim remembered he wanted to tell her something. From the breakfast table where he was watching a TV news show, he opened the kitchen window to yell to her.
“I hollered and they didn’t look up,” he said. “I saw a guy coming down the driveway with a gun in his hand. I grabbed my gun and ran to the car, to the window where Brenda was sitting.”
Jim said he asked Brenda where the gunman was. By the time he realized the gunman was in the backseat, the car took off.
“I couldn’t shoot. I was afraid of hitting Brenda or Joanne,” Malfregeot said. “So, I fired a shot in the air.”
The gunman then fired a shot through the window and struck Malfregeot.
There had already been reports of a gunman in the area, so police were on patrol. Hearing the shots, police arrived shortly and paramedics closely behind.
“They began the process of saving my life,” Malfregeot said.
While that was happening, Brenda was continually forced to drive. She was ultimately able to convince the gunman to let her and her mother out of the car.
“He shoved them both out of a moving vehicle,” said Malfregeot. “My mother-in-law was 88 at the time.”
That took place on Route 19 north, near Crooked Run Road. The women suffered scrapes and bruises, but neither were seriously injured. The gunman and carjacker, Antonio DeJesus, was apprehended by police at the Black Bear Exxon at Saltwell.
In the days and weeks to come, there were some close calls on Malfregeot’s life, one which took place on Sept. 22, his son Julian’s 
birthday.
birthday.
“They had to do emergency surgery and said I might want to say goodbye to my family,” he said.
Despite the family’s fearful response, Malfregeot said a serene feeling fell over him.
“It’s the calmest I have ever been in my life," he said. "I told Brenda I’ve always loved her and gave the boys the combination to the safe and a list of things they needed to take care of – what funeral home, what shirt and tie.”
Six hours later, he woke up.
“I didn’t know where I was. The room was totally white. I thought I might be in heaven,” Malfregeot said. “When I fully came out of anesthesia, I realized I was in the surgical ICU recovery room.”
Malfregeot was transferred to Cleveland Clinic where he continued his road to recovery, continuing to grow stronger.
“If you don’t believe in the power of prayer, I’m proof,” he said. “I sit here sometimes and shake my head. My doctors said I had a miracle recovery – that I’m a miracle.”
Malfregeot chokes up a little talking about his sons’ handling of the situation.
“I’m always proud of my boys, but these guys really stepped up. Julian came home from New York and James from Cleveland, staying by their mother’s side and by my side. They grew up faster than I had hoped they would have to.”
The movie will closely follow the Malfregeots’ story.
“It’s this family’s journey and a reflection of life; all things that come into play – his coming near death and the humility of it all,” Campbell said.
Joe Estevez will portray Malfregeot in the upcoming film.
“He’s a good guy – and I thought they kind of looked alike,” Campbell said. “In the 1970s, his brother Martin Sheen was here West Virginia filming a Civil War movie (‘No Drums, No Bugles’), so that’s kind of cool.”
Dean Cain will also be featured in the movie, which will primarily be shot in Clarksburg.
Filming is expected to begin by late-Spring and be released later in the year.
Editor's Note: Jim, Brenda, Julian and James Malfregeot are pictured, as well as Joe Estevez. Photo of Jim Malfregeot in the vehicle was taken by John Dominic Seti.
