Inset: Richard D. Barker (Sarasota County Jail). Background: The area in Florida where Barker allegedly killed his boss, Jeffrey Hubbard (Google Maps).
A 42-year-old man in Florida is accused of killing his boss, allegedly strangling the 56-year-old man to death with a tank top and telling police that he "killed the motherf—er" before flashing a sinister grin for his booking photo.
Richard Dustin Barker was taken into custody this week and charged with one count each of second-degree murder and altering, destroying, or concealing physical evidence over the slaying of Jeffrey Hubbard, court records show.
According to a probable cause affidavit from the Venice Police Department, officers responded to a residence in the 200 block of Grove Street South around 6 a.m. after a caller reported two men fighting in front of the building. The caller said that after the altercation, one man left the scene in a red pickup truck before returning with a trailer and dragging the other man's body.
When police arrived, they found Hubbard lying on the ground behind the trailer, unresponsive, with "a bloody white tank top shirt wrapped around his neck," according to a probable cause affidavit.
As officers made contact, Barker "stopped, exited the vehicle, placed his hands on his head, and stated, 'I killed the motherf—er,'" the affidavit states. The remark was captured on a body-worn camera.
Emergency crews attempted lifesaving measures, but Hubbard was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a news release, police confirmed that Barker and Hubbard knew each other "through their employment at the incident location, where Barker was employed by Hubbard." The affidavit says Barker works in engine repair for RPM Mower Repair on Grove Street.
Investigators say Barker later waived his Miranda rights and admitted he went to the location intending to kill Hubbard, whom he identified as his boss. He told detectives he knew the victim's routine and waited for him to leave the building early that morning to get coffee.
"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. "[Barker] stated when the victim exited the building, he immediately confronted him and began to strangle the victim with the tank top shirt. The defendant stated this was not effective and the victim began fighting back, ultimately lifting the visor to the helmet and scratching the defendant's face. The defendant stated he placed one (1) hand around the victim's neck and throat and continued to strangle the victim."
Barker claimed he and the victim both fell to the ground and continued struggling before he "wrapped an arm around the victim's neck and strangled him until he died."
"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," the affidavit said.
Authorities say Barker then removed items from Hubbard's pockets, including keys and a folding knife, and used a hose to wash blood from the sidewalk. When he could not lift the body into his truck, he drove to a nearby gas station to retrieve a trailer before returning to the scene.
Witnesses told police they saw Barker come back and begin dragging Hubbard's body toward the truck, which is when officers arrived and took him into custody.
Barker allegedly told detectives he planned to transport the body to Port Charlotte and bury it in a remote area.
The defendant is currently being held in the Sarasota County Jail without bond and is due to appear in court on Friday, records show.
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