Murder in Margate: Man from Wales stabbed

MARGATE, N.J. - A man once named one of Britain's 50 most eligible bachelors was stabbed to death during a street fight in this New Jersey Shore resort town, authorities said.

Lavern Paul Ritch, 37, of Penarth, Wales, was on a two-week vacation in the United States and was visiting friends in the Cherry Hill area, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. Ritch had gone to the beach, eaten dinner and visited some night spots Saturday before the stabbing occurred early Sunday.

Police found Ritch when they responded to an emergency call about 2 a.m. outside Maynard's Cafe, a bar-restaurant on Amherst Avenue, the Inquirer reported today. Police said he had been stabbed when he intervened in a street fight that reportedly had begun in Maynard's. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead about an hour later.

The county medical examiner's office said Ritch had been stabbed once - in the heart.

Ritch was listed in a 2002 poll of Britain's 50 most eligible bachelors by Company magazine and was named the 12th-most-eligible man in Wales in a local newspaper the same year.

He worked as a swimming and fitness instructor in Cardiff, Wales, the South Wales Echo newspaper said. The ITV television network said he had appeared as a contestant in the British version of "Gladiators" in 1998, winning through to a quarter-final show.

The murder weapon has not been recovered and police have not said whether they have a suspect.

During a news conference yesterday, county prosecutor Theodore Housel released images of a man officials said they wanted to speak with regarding the incident.

The man was described as a white male, 35 to 40 years old, with a medium to heavyset build. He is about 5 feet 10 inches tall, authorities said, with dark hair that may contain some gray.

He wore a green hat with a flat top and short brim that resembles an army fatigue hat. *