Moore Haven man facing first-degree murder charge after shooting his grandfather

Published: Updated:
harrell mug
harrell mug Credit: Glades County Sheriff’s Office

The Glades County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a Moore Haven man who they say killed his grandfather.

Early Saturday morning, just after 1 a.m., sheriff’s deputies were sent to a home along Palm Ave. in Moore Haven.

When Glades County deputies arrived, a suspect, later identified as Ricky Harrell, stood outside. He told the deputies, “the gun is inside, and no one else is here.”

Then, detectives restrained Harrell, entered the home, and found one victim dead on the floor. That victim was later identified as 75-year-old Peter Paul Matusiak.

GCSO quickly discovered that Matusiak died of an apparent gunshot wound. They also found two bullets near Matusiak’s body.

Glades County detectives and investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were called in to investigate this case. The investigation concluded that Matusiak, Harrell’s grandfather, was intoxicated when the two got into a verbal altercation. Mr. Harrell says that’s when Matusiak grabbed a shotgun but Harrell was able to wrestle the shotgun away from him.

He then says his grandfather lunged at him, and that’s when he fired shots at him. Harrell then called 911 and met the deputies in front of his home.

However, detectives later uncovered that Harrell made several comments to his friends about wanting his grandparents dead.

So, Harrell was arrested and could face a charge of murder in the first degree. He is currently being held at the Glades County Jail.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.