ELLENTON, Fla. — A man already in jail on unrelated drug and weapons charges faces a new charge after a 5-year murder investigation.
Manatee County deputies said Joseph Franklin Russell has been charged in the August 2015 murder of David Ritch.
Detectives said around 11:39 p.m. Aug. 29, 2015, Ritch ran into a Walgreens in Ellenton and collapsed from a gunshot wound to his torso. Ritch told deputies that he was walking near a roadway, had a light shined on him and then was suddenly shot.
Ritch was taken to Blake Medical Center where he died from his injuries the next morning.
Detectives talked to a friend of Ritch, who said he was also friends with Russell. The friend said they knew Russell from living at the Edgewater Apartments, where Russell had lived with his girlfriend until she kicked him out, a news release states.
When investigators searched the area around the Walgreens, they said they found a backpack in an abandoned building containing papers with Ritch's name on them. A few days later, deputies found two .22 caliber shell casings.
Investigators said they later learned that Russell was upset that Ritch was communicating with his girlfriend, specifically through text messages.
A friend showed texts to detectives that stated "Ritch better hope he never sees him (Russell) again."
Detectives re-interviewed a female friend on Oct. 20, and said she gave "additional statements about Russell's intent to harm the victim," the release states.
Russell has been charged with first-degree murder. He was already in Manatee County Jail on unrelated drug and weapons charges.
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