A man pleaded guilty this week to murdering a truck driver who bought him a hotel room in what the driver’s family is calling a “homophobic hate crime.”
37-year-old Richard Leo pleaded guilty on Friday, October 9th in Monroe County, New York, for the January 31st incident in Henrietta, New York.
According to 13 WHAM, 40-year-old truck driver Daniel Fiero found Leo walking on the side of the road in upstate New York in January and offered him a ride. Fiero then paid for Leo, a homeless veteran, to stay at an Extended Stay America for a month, and made sure he was fed.
After about a month, the two men got into a dispute inside of the hotel room, where Leo reportedly attacked Fiero out of anger. Fiero died from very serious injuries to his head, face, and multiple stab wounds.
His family’s GoFundMe describes Fiero as being “stabbed to death in a homophobic hate crime in a hotel.”
“Daniel was a real person — not just another name attached to a tragedy. He was loved deeply, and his life mattered. No matter his flaws (and he had many),” the GoFundMe continues.
“Daniel Fiero was the kind of person we should all strive to be,” Assistant District Attorney Patrick Gallagher said in a statement. “When he encountered a stranger in need, he did not hesitate to offer a helping hand. What began as a simple act of kindness became an extraordinary display of compassion and generosity. Tragically, Richard Leo repaid that kindness with an unimaginable act of violence, brutally taking the life of the very person who had gone out of his way to help him.
Leo pleaded guilty to second degree murder. His sentencing is scheduled for November 16th.
