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 Florida resident faces charges for allegedly murdering his employer by strangling him with a tank top. The suspect reportedly boasted to police, saying he had “killed the motherf—er” and later smiled menacingly for his booking photo.
Richard Dustin Barker has been arrested and is charged with second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the death of 56-year-old Jeffrey Hubbard, according to court documents.
As detailed in a probable cause affidavit from the Venice Police Department, officers responded to a call around 6 a.m. regarding a fight between two men outside a property on Grove Street South. Witnesses reported seeing one of the men leave in a red pickup truck, only to return with a trailer and drag the other man’s body.
Upon arrival, police discovered Hubbard unresponsive on the ground behind the trailer, with a “bloody white tank top shirt wrapped around his neck,” as stated in the affidavit.
When officers approached Barker, he “stopped, exited the vehicle, placed his hands on his head, and declared, ‘I killed the motherf—er,'” a statement recorded on a body-worn camera.
Emergency responders attempted to revive Hubbard, but he was declared 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.
