A Sunday night argument inside an Englewood garage has left one man dead and another behind bars. Frank John Voight, 68, is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of his friend, 47-year-old Ricardo J. Escarra. Deputies say Escarra was shot once in the chest and pronounced dead at the scene at 10:03 p.m. Voight’s sister called 911 after Voight told her by phone, “I just shot Rico.”
When deputies arrived, they found Voight apparently intoxicated near Escarra’s body, with a handgun fitted with a red dot sight resting on a garage table. Voight told investigators he fired in self-defense, describing Escarra as drunk and increasingly aggressive after a fight with his girlfriend, and said Escarra told him to shoot. The case now turns on whether that account holds up under Florida’s self-defense law, and Voight is being held without bond under the Anti-Murder Act.
For a quiet Charlotte County neighborhood, it’s a reminder that disputes, alcohol, and firearms can turn ordinary moments into tragedy. The investigation is ongoing. Do you think a self-defense claim can stand when alcohol is involved? Share your thoughts with us.
