Frank John Voight, 68, faces a second-degree murder charge after deputies say he shot and killed his friend Ricardo J. Escarra Sunday night in the garage of his Englewood home.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office laid out the timeline in their report: Escarra, 47, came to Voight’s house on El Campo Avenue, and during an argument, Voight fired one shot into Escarra’s chest. Pronounced dead at 10:03 p.m., Escarra never made it out of the garage.
It all started with a 911 call from Voight’s sister, Dawn M. Root, around 9:28 p.m. She told dispatchers her brother shot someone. When Deputy Miller got to the scene, she found Escarra lying unresponsive on the floor next to Voight, who, according to deputies, smelled strongly of alcohol and appeared intoxicated. A handgun with a red dot sight sat on a nearby table.
Deputies tried chest compressions until fire rescue teams took over. Root later told investigators she spoke with her brother by phone roughly between 9:26 and 9:30 p.m. He was breathing heavily and, according to the arrest affidavit, admitted bluntly, “I just shot Rico.” She pushed him to call 911 immediately.
Escarra wasn’t just a friend. He helped Voight run his rental business, doing odd jobs and sometimes driving Voight’s Chevrolet Impala in trade for payment or using the car. That night, Voight said Escarra arrived without a shirt, shoes, or socks, upset and crying after a fight with his girlfriend. Both men had been drinking. Voight told deputies he’d kept his Taurus C2 9mm handgun at the ready in the garage, feeling uneasy as Escarra’s behavior grew more aggressive.
At one point, Escarra, arms raised and palms out, said, “Shoot me,” according to Voight. He told deputies that Escarra was about five or six feet away, then moved around the table toward him. That’s when Voight fired the single shot, claiming self-defense and asserting that Escarra was much bigger and stronger.
Voight remains in Charlotte County Jail, held without bond under Florida’s Anti-Murder Act.
