Venice Man Charged With Murdering His 67-Year-Old Employer

A pre-dawn fight outside a Venice business ended with an employee charged with killing his 67-year-old boss, after a witness watched the suspect drag the victim toward a pickup truck, leave him on the ground, and briefly depart the scene before returning.

Richard Barker, 42, was charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Jeffrey Hubbard, 67, following an altercation at 234 South Grove Street in Venice, Florida. Venice Police Department officers responded at approximately 6:02 a.m. on April 6, 2026, after receiving reports of a physical fight in the 200 block of South Grove Street.

The timeline pieced together by investigators centers on one witness account and a damaging sequence of movements. That witness reported observing Barker and Hubbard engaged in a physical fight in front of the business where Barker worked as Hubbard's employee. The witness then saw Barker drag Hubbard toward a pickup truck, leave him on the ground, and leave the scene, only to return shortly after. That departure and return became the factual foundation for the tampering with evidence charge, suggesting investigators believe Barker attempted to interfere with the crime scene during that window.

Venice Fire Rescue personnel responded alongside officers and attempted life-saving measures, but Hubbard was pronounced dead at the scene. An official cause and manner of death remains pending review by the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Medical Examiner. After being detained, Barker made statements admitting responsibility. Charges were filed within 24 hours in consultation with the Twelfth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office.

Second-degree murder in Florida does not require premeditation, but prosecutors must demonstrate malice or extreme indifference to human life. The combination of eyewitness testimony and Barker's own admissions gave investigators sufficient probable cause to file a criminal complaint with unusual speed.

Venice Police Chief Andy Leisenring addressed the public following the arrest. "While Venice is a safe community, we want the public to understand that serious crime does occur," Leisenring said. "This arrest marks the third murder arrest our department has made in the past six months." Those prior arrests include the case of a 75-year-old Venice man charged with murdering Laikyn West, 24, a missing Bradenton woman last seen alive in Venice. Nearby workers Brenda Frost and her husband Mike described arriving that morning to find an unusually heavy police presence along South Grove Street.

April 6 also brought a second Sarasota County homicide. In North Port, police arrested Coy Bothwell, 46, charging him with second-degree murder in the death of Tiffany Schiessl, 32, a woman who shared a residence with Bothwell.

With Barker's own admissions on record, an eyewitness account placing him at the scene during the critical window, and the Twelfth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office already involved in the charging decision, the prosecution enters early proceedings with a significant evidentiary head start. The medical examiner's findings will be the next major development in establishing the full picture of what happened at 234 South Grove Street.