FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Some tragic news about a man who grabbed the hearts and attention of South Floridians one year ago.
Terry Owens, 67, died Wednesday night after choking on some food. During the incident, Owens went into cardiac arrest and died.
"I have never had better friend. Terry was a real treasure but he was almost invisible to most people. He was painfully shy." said Peter Harrington, Terry's best friend
Local 10 News featured Owens, who suffered from severe dementia, in a series of stories in November 2014.
Friends say Owens was lured into a Fort Lauderdale beauty shop and sold $8,000 worth of beauty products he didn't even remember buying.
Those same friends say the shy, innocent and vulnerable man didn't even know what day of the week it was and in no way knew what he was doing.
The owner of Luxury Beauty, across from the Galt Ocean Mile in Fort Lauderdale, refused to give Terry his money back until Local 10's Jeff Weinsier got involved and confronted him.
Weeks after Local 10 News exposed the issue Luxury Beauty closed, but not before they eventually returned all of Owens' money.
But State Lawmakers were disgusted with State Senator Jeremy Ring drafting legislation to protect those with dementia.
Senate bill 726 became known as Terry's Law.
Under the law, anyone declared mentally incompetent by a doctor would have 72 hours to return merchandise worth $1,000 or more.
Although the bill passed through two committees, it failed to make it out of third.
However, the push to pass Terry's law lives on as Senator Ring has already refiled the bill for the upcoming legislative session begins in January.
Once a mathematical genius, Owens first taught math, then become an actuary before the dementia reduced a brilliant mind to nothing.
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