Venice man accused of strangling boss to death with tank top, plotting to bury body in Port Charlotte

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Courtesy: Venice Police Department

VENICE, Fla. - A man is facing second-degree murder and evidence tampering charges, after new details released by Venice police say he strangled his boss to death with a tank top and tried to move his body in a pickup truck early Monday morning.

The backstory:

According to the Venice Police Department, officers were dispatched shortly after 6 a.m. to the 200 block of Grove Street South, following reports of two men fighting outside a business. 

When officers arrived, they found a red Ford F-150 with a trailer attached, backed up near the property. Just behind the trailer, officers discovered the body of the victim, later identified as Jeffrey Hubbard, 67, with a bloody tank top wrapped around his neck and covered with a sleeping bag. Hubbard was pronounced dead at the scene, according to VPD.

Police say the suspect, identified as Richard Barker, 42, was quickly taken into custody. According to officers, Barker got out of his truck, placed his hands on his head, and allegedly said, "I killed the m***erf***er." The statement was captured on an officer’s body-worn camera.

Dig deeper:

Detectives say Barker admitted that he went to the location where he was employed, with the intent to kill Hubbard, who was his boss.

According to a VPD arrest affidavit, Barker allegedly used a white tank top as a weapon to strangle Hubbard. 

Barker told investigators he wore a motorcycle helmet during the attack to protect himself. He says a struggle ensued when Hubbard fought back, scratching Barker in the face under the visor of his helmet. Barker continued strangling Hubbard until he died, according to the arrest affidavit.

Courtesy: Venice Police Department

Police say Barker then tried to hide the crime by wrapping the shirt around Hubbard’s neck and removing items from his boss’s pockets. He later tried washing blood from the sidewalk with a hose, according to the affidavit.

Investigators say Barker tried to load Hubbard’s body into his truck but was unable to do so. He then left the scene, retrieved a trailer from a nearby gas station, and returned.

Witnesses told police they saw Barker drag Hubbard’s body toward the truck before leaving and later returning with the trailer. Police say Barker planned to take the body to Port Charlotte and bury it in an unidentified area.

Barker faces charges of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in a criminal proceeding.