A former Florida police officer has been sentenced to death for shooting his romantic rival three times and setting him on fire while he was still alive.
Otto Lenke, 67, received the death sentence Wednesday at the St. Lucie County Courthouse for the February 17, 2021, killing of 57-year-old motorcycle mechanic Richard Benson.
Circuit Court Judge Michael Linn said in his sentencing order that Lenke carried out a “cold and calculated plan” to kill Benson “in one of the most heinous, atrocious, and cruel ways imaginable,” Law & Crime reported.
According to the judge’s order, Lenke drove for about 40 minutes to Fast Frank’s Cycle Concepts, the motorcycle repair business Benson owned in Fort Pierce, roughly 130 miles north of Miami.
He waited at the shop for approximately 20 minutes before approaching Benson and shooting him in the back from nearly point-blank range.
After firing three shots, Lenke poured two containers of denatured alcohol over Benson, who was still moving, and ignited the liquid.
Prosecutors said jealousy drove the killing. Benson was dating Lisa Diggs, a woman who had previously been in a relationship with Lenke.
Benson’s girlfriend recognized Lenke in the surveillance video by his “particular walk,” his stomach and the black motorcycle helmet he was wearing.
Former Florida police officer Otto Lenke, 67, was sentenced to death on Wednesday for the 2021 first-degree murder of Richard Benson, 57
Prosecutors said Lenke killed Benson (left) out of jealousy after Benson began dating Lisa Diggs (right), with whom Lenke had previously been in a relationship
Surveillance cameras recorded Lenke entering the motorcycle shop, killing Benson and then leaving
Linn ruled that the death penalty was an “appropriate” and “just” punishment for Benson’s first-degree murder.
A jury convicted Lenke of first-degree murder in May and recommended execution in an 11-1 vote.
Investigators who arrived after Benson was found dead discovered three spent shell casings and two empty containers of denatured alcohol near the shop’s entrance.
Video from the surveillance cameras showed Lenke entering the business, killing Benson and leaving afterward.
The sentencing order said Lenke removed the license tag from his car before carrying out the murder.
Wearing a helmet and gloves, he shot Benson inside the motorcycle shop and pulled him back inside when he tried to reach the door.
Diggs told investigators in 2021 that she had known Lenke for 10 years.
She said she became friends with Lenke after her husband died of cancer seven years earlier, according to Treasure Coast News.
Benson, 57, was shot and killed by Lenke at the Fort Pierce motorcycle repair shop he owned
Lenke had already been convicted of first-degree murder in May by a jury. Prosecutors claimed his motive was jealousy
Benson was dating a woman that Lenke had previously seen, though the girlfriend said that her relationship with the latter was only platonic leading up to the murder
Diggs testified in the trial that ended up with Lenke receiving a death sentence for murdering Benson
The grieving girlfriend told authorities that Lenke carried a gun everywhere.
Lenke’s affection was so much that he had built Diggs a wooden boat, which he delivered on January 19.
As he did so, Benson called Diggs, which caused Lenke to become emotional, per the reported order.
Lenke then asked Diggs ‘why she did not love him and asked if it was because she was seeing someone.’
Prosecutors argued that set Lenke off and eventually resulted in him murdering Benson.
Diggs said their relationship had once very briefly been romantic, but was platonic before the killing. She testified in the trial.
The jury panel that convicted Benson was made up of seven women and five men.
Assistant State Attorney Brandon White, who prosecuted Lenke, praised the death sentence as he recalled the heinous murder.
‘I remember being in a room with the Indian River County Sheriff’s detectives, probably with over 100 years of combined experience, and their jaws dropped when they saw this video because it was probably one of the most heinous things we’ve ever seen,’ White told Treasure Coast News.
Authorities said that Lenke drove 40 minutes to the motorcycle repair shop owned by Benson before shooting him three times and effectively burning him alive
Lenke was jailed two days after Benson’s death once investigators linked him to the crime.
The Pontiac Bonneville seen near the shop matched a car that was registered to Lenke but primarily used by his daughter.
Evidence obtained through a search warrant showed Lenke’s phone was at home when Benson was murdered.
Search warrant evidence showed Lenke’s cellphone was at his residence when the murder occurred
However, the phone started moving afterwards and was tracked to a shoreline area of the Indian River Lagoon near Sebastian.
Authorities recovered a .40-caliber Glock firearm from the lagoon which was consistent with the murder weapon. Records did not identify who had purchased the secondhand firearm.
Though Lenke has been sentenced, his case still has to be reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court under state law.
Our News Outlet has reached out to White and Lenke’s attorney, Robert Bruton, for comment.
