FORT PIERCE — A jury convicted former police officer and firefighter Otto Lenke of first-degree murder and first-degree arson Friday in the 2021 slaying of a Fort Pierce motorcycle repair shop owner, a brutal killing captured on surveillance video that prosecutors said showed the victim shot and then set ablaze.
The St. Lucie County panel deliberated less than three hours before returning the verdicts shortly after 12:53 p.m., according to court officials. Lenke, 66, of Sebastian, displayed no discernible reaction as the clerk read the findings aloud. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty in a penalty phase planned to begin on May 18.
Authorities identified the victim as 57-year-old Richard Benson, who owned Fast Frank’s Custom Cycle Components…