The police chief said the case was the department’s third murder arrest in six months.
VENICE, Fla. — Venice police said an employee killed his boss outside a South Grove Street business April 6, marking another murder arrest in a city where officials said serious crime remains uncommon but real.
The department charged Richard Dustin Barker, 42, with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Jeffrey Hubbard, 67. Police said Hubbard employed Barker at the incident location. The killing was believed to be isolated, officials said, and investigators said there was no ongoing threat to the public after Barker was detained.
Police Chief Andy Leisenring addressed the wider community in the arrest announcement. “While Venice is a safe community, we want the public to understand that serious crime does occur,” he said. The chief said the arrest was the third murder arrest made by Venice police in the previous six months. His statement came after officers responded before dawn to a report of a fight in the 200 block of South Grove Street and found Hubbard unresponsive outside the business.
The emergency call came at about 6:02 a.m. A witness told police that two people were fighting in front of 234 Grove St. S. and that one person was later dragged toward a pickup truck. Police said the suspect left the scene, leaving Hubbard behind, then returned with a trailer. Officers arrived soon after, detained Barker and found Hubbard on the ground behind the trailer. Venice police officers and Venice Fire Rescue tried life-saving measures, but Hubbard died at the scene.
The public account from police includes several details that are likely to shape how the case is prosecuted. Officers found a bloody white tank top wrapped around Hubbard’s neck, according to the affidavit. Investigators said Barker later admitted he used the shirt during the attack. Police also said Barker stepped from the pickup truck, put his hands on his head and stated that he had killed Hubbard. That statement, police said, was recorded on body-worn camera.
The affidavit described the attack as deliberate. Detectives said Barker told them he went to the worksite intending to kill Hubbard and wore a motorcycle helmet to protect himself. Police said Hubbard fought back and scratched Barker’s face beneath the helmet visor. Investigators have not released a final motive. The official cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner, and the department said the investigation remains ongoing.
The tampering charge reflects what police say Barker did after Hubbard was no longer responsive. Investigators said Barker removed items from Hubbard’s pockets, tried to wash blood from the sidewalk with a hose and attempted to move the body with the pickup truck. After failing to load Hubbard into the truck, police said, he left, got a trailer from a nearby gas station and returned. Investigators said Barker intended to take Hubbard’s body to Port Charlotte and bury it in an unidentified place.
The case places a severe allegation inside an ordinary worksite relationship. Police said Barker was employed by Hubbard, but they did not identify the full nature of the business in their public release. Other reporting identified the location as a mower repair business. The facts released by police point to a boss and employee who knew each other through work, not strangers meeting by chance. That relationship may guide investigators as they examine records, communications and any earlier conflict between the men.
For Venice, the arrest stood out because the city’s public image is often tied to beaches, retirees, small businesses and tourism. Grove Street, however, became the center of a homicide investigation that brought police vehicles, fire rescue and evidence work into a commercial area at the start of a Monday. The department’s message to residents was twofold: the case was serious, and officers believed it had been contained quickly. Leisenring said officers and investigators continued “to protect this community and bring cases to resolution.”
The legal path now moves from police statements to court process. Barker has been booked in Sarasota County on charges tied to homicide and obstruction of justice through evidence tampering. Prosecutors will have to prove the charges with admissible evidence, including witness testimony, physical evidence, any medical examiner findings and any statements allowed by the court. Barker is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. His defense will be able to challenge the state’s evidence and any account of his alleged statements.
Several key facts remain unknown. Police have not released the final autopsy result. They have not said whether the business had security video or whether nearby cameras captured the pickup truck, trailer or fight. They have not said whether phone records or messages between Barker and Hubbard are part of the investigation. They also have not explained what led Barker, as alleged, to go to the location prepared for violence. Those unknowns could become central as the case moves through discovery.
The timeline released by police is narrow but detailed. A witness saw a fight and dragging before officers arrived. The suspect left and returned with a trailer. Officers found Hubbard behind that trailer and detained Barker at the scene. Barker allegedly admitted responsibility, and police later charged him after consulting the State Attorney’s Office. Each step matters because it ties the public safety response, the witness account and the criminal charges into one sequence.
The next milestone is expected from the medical examiner or Sarasota County court, where the charges will proceed through hearings and filings. Police say the case remains open, but the immediate public danger ended with Barker’s arrest at the Grove Street scene.
Author note: Last updated April 30, 2026.