- March 2, 2026
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2:21 p.m., UPDATE: Witness Donald Mann said he saw Ricky Leer chop off the head of the victim. According to Mann, Leer got angry after the victim knocked a grill over. He then knocked the victim to the ground and used a large knife to chop off his head.
Sarasota County Sheriff's Office has arrested Ricky Leer, 58, for Second Degree Murder.
The arrest is related to an incident this morning, when a witness called deputies at 1:32 a.m. to report that Leer killed a 53-year-old victim during an argument in the woods, near the 3100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Lockwood Ridge Road.
The witness led them to the victim's body, and Leer was located and taken into custody a short time later.
Deputies are attempting to notify the victim's next of kin before releasing his name.
Contact Eddie Kirsch at [email protected].