A Florida man has been sentenced to forty years in prison after he killed a man and tried to burn the body by using gasoline in 2018.
Jake Lee Napier, 40, was arrested on charges of second-degree murder as well as arson after he shot a 62-year-old man in the head and then burned the man’s body using gasoline.
Napier pled guilty to all charges and will continue to be held at the Marion County Jail, awaiting transfer to prison.
According to Ocala Star-Banner, in July of 2018, detectives were called to the 5400 block of Southeast 145th Street in Summerfield. They were told that a man had in shot in the side of the head and set on fire. The victim was identified as Walter Russell Elliott.
Detectives entered the residence and found Elliott’s body in a chair. The man had burns on his feet, legs, and back, according to investigators.
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Federal officials later told local detectives that the fire was arson.
Surveillance video showed Napier and another man, Joseph William Angelo, in the house. Napier was seen pouring gasoline on Elliott’s body.
Another video showed Angelo giving Napier a lighter and Napier igniting the gasoline.
A fire started and continued for several minutes before two individuals extinguished the flames. The video showed Angelo taking a handgun from his waist as he was talking with Napier.
According to OSB, two days after the death, detectives got a warrant for Napier’s arrest. At the time of the killing, Napier was visiting from Texas, detectives said. Napier was later found in Texas and taken into custody on Aug. 7.
Angelo told detectives in an interview that he was at the Summerfield residence when the murder occurred. He also admitted to having a gun and said he gave Napier a lighter.
Angelo was sentenced in 2020 to 20 years in prison.
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Angelo told detectives in an interview that he was at the Summerfield residence when the murder occurred. He also admitted to having a gun and said he gave Napier a lighter.
Now 54, Angelo, also a convicted felon, was sentenced in 2020 to a 20-year prison term.
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