Front Page Detectives
BREAKING NEWS

An Elderly Veteran Offered A Homeless Man A Place To Stay. He Was Then Murdered And Stuffed In A Closet.

lee county
Source: MEGA; Lee County Sheriff's Office

Jul. 7 2022, Published 8:52 a.m. ET

Link to FacebookShare to XShare to Email

An elderly man took a homeless person in to his home. That decision cost him his life as he was found dead and stuffed in a closet.

Now his killer heads to prison, but the victim’s daughter is not happy with the sentence.

Article continues below advertisement

Last month, a judge in Florida sentenced Michael Wasko to 25 years in prison after he pleaded no contest to a murder charge, according to WFTX. He was also sentenced to five years in prison for a grand theft auto charge and that will run at the same time.

Wasko was convicted of killing Ron Lagattuta in March 2021.

Prosecutors said the elderly veteran took in Wasko. The victim was later reported missing and police found him in the closet of his For Myers, Florida, home, according to WFTX.

Article continues below advertisement

Lagattuta, 80, had multiple blunt force trauma injuries to his face and head, according to WINK News. He also had fractures to his ribs and sternum, injuries to his heart and a cut to his liver.

Investigators also determined a ligature had been placed around the victim’s death post-mortem, according to WINK News. That was to make it look like Lagattuta had strangled himself to death.

Wasko stole the victim’s car, according to the report. He was later arrested in the vehicle in Georgia.

MORE ON:
Florida
Article continues below advertisement

Despite the prison sentence for the accused killer, Ronae Lagattuta, the victim’s daughter, was not pleased with the sentence.

“I’m not happy about it at all. I don’t think 25 years is nearly enough, it’s nothing. He needs to stay in there forever. I’m devastated because I don’t think he should ever be able to come out again. He should not be allowed in society,” she said, according to WINK News.

Article continues below advertisement

Ron Lagattuta was willing to help anyone he met, his daughter told the station. She added that he helped a man off the streets, and it got him killed.

Ronae Lagattuta then admitted it was hard not to have her dad around anymore.

“I would tell him I love him so much and I miss him. I wish he was here so bad. I have siblings, you know?” Ronae Lagattuta told the station. “But I’m daddy’s girl. I have brothers and then there’s me. I’ve always been daddy’s girl. It’s really hard. And then, what happened to him? It’s very hard to deal with.”

Advertisement

Become a Front Page Detective

Sign up to receive breaking
Front Page Detectives
news and exclusive investigations.

More Stories

Opt-out of personalized ads

© Copyright 2024 FRONT PAGE DETECTIVES™️. A DIVISION OF EMPIRE MEDIA GROUP INC. FRONT PAGE DETECTIVES is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Offers may be subject to change without notice.