Provocation in poker game leads to murder in Florida

An American citizen confessed to a murder in the state of Florida after a poker game between friends. Richard Lewis, 54, shot and killed his roommate, a 45-year-old man, because he was tired of being “humiliated” and “verbally abused.”

According to a report from local broadcaster FOX 13 News, the motivation for the crime was revealed by the author himself in an official statement to the Pinellas County Court, where the city of Tarpon Springs, location of the murder, is located. According to the statement, the two men were drinking and playing poker in a bar in the neighborhood where they lived, until Lewis returned home angry and took the shotgun that was in the future victim’s room.

Details of the investigation show that Lewis arrived home before his colleague, went to the bedroom to get the gun, loaded it with ammunition and tested it, before confirming that the home’s security system was turned off. When the victim arrived, Lewis entered through the back door and fired the first shot, hitting his colleague. He then fired two more shots.

Soon after committing the crime, Lewis went to the backyard of the house, threw the shotgun on the ground and sat on a mattress outside, waiting for the police to arrive. The action took place at dawn, and the victim was declared dead hours later, in the morning, at the hospital where she was taken by the rescue team.

According to official records, Lewis told the judges in his official statement that he was tired of being “humiliated”, “verbally abused” and “insulted in front of his own friends”. The man also said that he committed the murder “because he wanted to” and confirmed that “it was not an accident”. Lewis is currently being held in the Pinellas County Jail after being charged with first-degree murder and is unable to post bail.