Florida | Jury recommends death for Otto Lenke, judge to make final call

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A St. Lucie County jury recommended the death penalty for Otto Lenke on Thursday in the penalty phase of his first-degree murder trial, though the final decision rests with the judge.

Lenke, 66, a former Melbourne police officer and Indian River County firefighter, was convicted earlier this month of first-degree murder and first-degree arson in the Feb. 17, 2021, killing of Richard Benson at Fast Frank’s Custom Cycle Components, Benson’s motorcycle repair shop in Fort Pierce.

Prosecutors said Lenke shot Benson multiple times inside the shop, then poured a flammable liquid on him and set him on fire while he was still alive. Surveillance video from the shop captured the attack.

After hearing evidence of aggravating and mitigating factors, jurors voted 11-1 to recommend that Lenke be sentenced to death. They also confirmed they had found the necessary aggravating factors proven beyond a reasonable doubt, a required step under Florida law before the death penalty can be considered.

Each juror was individually polled in open court and affirmed the decision.

The judge thanked the jurors for their service, acknowledging the emotional weight of the case after weeks of testimony.

A Spencer hearing is scheduled for July 14 at 1:30 p.m., where both sides will present final arguments and evidence directly to the judge.

In Florida, a jury’s recommendation for life in prison without parole is binding, but a death recommendation is advisory. The judge may accept or reject the jury’s 11-1 recommendation for death.

Lenke will be formally sentenced at a later date.

Source: DPN, Staff, Al, May 22, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde

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