A suspect allegedly confessed on scene and told police he planned to bury the body.
VENICE, FL – A 42-year-old man is facing a second-degree murder charge after police say he strangled his employer outside a Venice business early this week, then attempted to move the body with a trailer before officers arrived. The victim, 56-year-old Jeffrey Hubbard, was found unresponsive behind a trailer with a tank top wrapped around his neck.
Richard Dustin Barker was taken into custody at the scene on Grove Street South after officers responded around 6 a.m. to a report of two men fighting. A caller told police one of the men left in a red pickup truck and later returned with a trailer, dragging the other man’s body.
When officers arrived, Barker exited the vehicle and made an immediate statement. “I killed the motherf—er,” Barker told officers, according to a probable cause affidavit. The remark was captured on a body-worn camera.
Emergency crews attempted lifesaving measures, but Hubbard was pronounced dead at the scene.
Alleged confession and planned attack
Police said Barker later waived his Miranda rights and described a planned attack on Hubbard, whom he identified as his boss at RPM Mower Repair. Investigators said the two men knew each other through their employment at the location where the killing occurred.
“The defendant stated he tied his white tank top shirt around his wrist to use as a ligature/weapon and wore a motorcycle helmet to protect his head and face from injury,” police wrote in the affidavit.
According to investigators, Barker told detectives he waited for Hubbard to leave the building for his morning routine before confronting him. “The defendant stated when the victim exited the building, he immediately confronted him and began to strangle the victim with the tank top shirt,” the affidavit states.
Police said Barker admitted the initial attempt was ineffective and the victim fought back. “The defendant stated he placed one (1) hand around the victim’s neck and throat and continued to strangle the victim,” the affidavit says, adding that Barker ultimately “wrapped an arm around the victim’s neck and strangled him until he died.”
Attempt to move body and destroy evidence
Investigators allege Barker attempted to prevent rescue efforts and conceal evidence after the killing. “The defendant stated after he killed the victim, he placed the tank top shirt around the victim’s neck so EMS personnel would not be able to save him,” police wrote.
Authorities said Barker removed items from Hubbard’s pockets, including keys and a folding knife, and used a hose to wash blood from the sidewalk. After failing to lift the body into his truck, he drove to a nearby gas station to retrieve a trailer.
Witnesses told officers they saw Barker return and begin dragging Hubbard’s body toward the vehicle before police intervened.
According to the affidavit, Barker told detectives he intended to transport the body to Port Charlotte and bury it in a remote area.
Barker is charged with second-degree murder and altering, destroying, or concealing physical evidence. He is being held without bond at the Sarasota County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court Friday.
Richard Dustin Barker arrest, Venice Florida murder, Jeffrey Hubbard death, Sarasota County crime, RPM Mower Repair case