'I Hope He Will be Miserable for the Rest of His Life for What He Did to Us'

Christopher Message, 35, of Valley Road in Fairfield confessed to attempting to burn down Frank's Barber Stylists, 494 Main Street, and Matt & Louie's Barber Shop, 258 Main Street, early in the morning on Aug. 8, according to investigators.

The Rustic Grille, a popular restaurant that shares space in the shopping center Frank's is in, suffered the most damage and has been closed since the incident. Police said the hair salons were the actual targets, because Message had claimed both mistreated him during job interviews.

"I knew all along I had nothing to do with it," John Kantzas, owner of Rustic Grille, said Tuesday. "I'm glad they caught him. I hope he will be miserable for the rest of his life for what he did to us and Monroe. I don't feel sorry for someone like that."

Message was charged on Nov. 2 with one count of first-degree arson, one count of third-degree arson, two counts of third-degree burglary and one count of third-degree criminal mischief for the arson incidents in Monroe.

The former Trumbull volunteer firefighter and EMT with American Medical Response, had also been charged in arson incidents in Fairfield and Easton, which mostly involved unoccupied houses for sale.

Though Message has been charged, a court has yet to convict him of any crimes.

The Monroe case was investigated by the Monroe Police Department's Detective Bureau, Fire Marshal William Davin's office and the state fire marshal's office.

Though police said Message had told them anger over job interviews at Frank's and Matt & Louie's led to his committing arson, Anna Rexhepi, manager of Frank's, said she had actually offered Message a job there.

"He turned it down and said he would stay at the salon he was working at in Bridgeport," Rexhepi said Friday.

Matt Ramadani, who owns Matt & Louie's with Louie Roci, said Message's girlfriend called on his behalf one day in September, saying Message was looking for a job.

"It was busy, so we told him to come in after five," Ramadani recalled. "We were surprised when he walked in five minutes later and announced, 'I'm a barber.'"

Roci was cutting a customer's hair and told Message to leave his name and number up front, so they could get back to him. But Ramadani said neither he nor Roci ever followed up.

"He didn't look right for this business," Ramadani explained.

Two weeks later, the fire had been set at 494 Main Street and another was attempted at Matt & Louie's, according to Ramadani.

"To burn my place, that's hateful," he said. "When you want to destroy somebody, you burn them to the ground."

"I feel more comfortable now that they caught him," Ramadani said. "I didn't feel comfortable sleeping at home, because I was worried about my place. This is my livelihood."

Matt & Louie's Barber Shop opened last Dec. 22, but Ramadani said he has been cutting hair in Monroe for the past nine years.

At Frank's, Rexhepi said of Message, "It's a good thing he's behind bars."

A stylist, who did not want to give her name, added, "He's a menace to society to do something like that."

Breakfast Hasn't Been the Same

John Kantzas and his wife Sandy stood by the door to Fawn Hollow Elementary School's gymnasium on Election Day, when a customer walked up to them and gave Sandy a hug.

"We're starving to death," joked Bob Carlson of Monroe, a loyal patron of the Rustic Grille.

"We go to one place and get through and go, 'John's coffee is better than that,'" Carlson said. "We go to another place and go, 'John's french toast is better than that.' He runs a quality business." Carlson turned toward the John and Sandy and added, "We're constantly thinking of you."

Those who miss Rustic Grille can taste the Kantzas' pancakes, bacon and sausage again during the Rotary Club's breakfast on Nov. 19, to be held at United Methodist Church from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Extensive improvements have to be made to the building at 494 Main Street before Rustic Grille can reopen, and John Kantzas said there could be a mid-December reopening at the earliest.

"I miss getting up in the morning and seeing my friends — pouring coffee and catching up," he said.

In the meantime, Kantzas said one customer recently invited he and his wife over for dinner and cooked for them. "They made us feel like part of their family," he said. "You can't buy that."