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Article Courtesy of The
Daily Mail
By Alex Hammer
Published August 9, 2023
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A
road-rage confrontation at a Florida country club left a senior citizen dead and
another golfer facing accusations of manslaughter after cops tracked him down
using a seven-month-old photo of him celebrating a hole-in-one.
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Robert Edward Moore
Jr., 76, was arrested for the June 28 incident - which
happened at the Glenview County Club and left Dean William
Zook, 87, dead.
Moore Jr. - who mistakenly thought his car was struck by
Zook's when he and his wife pulled into the golf club for
dinner at its restaurant - is facing a charge of aggravated
manslaughter of an elderly person, a crime punishable by up
to 30 years in prison.
Police used a news photo published in February showing Moore
Jr. celebrating a hole-in-one three months earlier in
November 2022 to help identify him as the suspect in the
case because he was wearing the same clothes for the lucky
shot as was spotted by the suspect in the parking lot
attack.
Now being mourned by his family, Zook died less than three
weeks after the altercation took place - a day before his
88th birthday.
A man who once hit a hole-in-one at a Florida country club
has been charged with beating a senior to death - in another
facility's parking lot after a fender bender. The suspect,
76-year-old Robert Edward Moore Jr. (seen here in his July
27 booking photo), is currently out on bail
A subpoena has since been issued for EMS records in
connection with the senior's death - indicating the
prosecutor’s office is beginning to build its case against
his alleged assailant, who is now free on $30,000 bond.
Moore Jr's arrest affidavit, filed after
cops used the Digest Villages-News.com photo to help track
him down, describes how the fatal incident unfolded.
It also showed how it
all evolved from a misunderstanding - with Moore realizing
after the beating the car Zook struck actually belonged to
someone else, and was only the same model as his car park
elsewhere in the facility. |
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A man who once hit a hole-in-one at a Florida country
club has been charged with beating a senior to death - in another
facility's parking lot after a fender bender. The suspect,
76-year-old Robert Edward Moore Jr. (seen here in his July 27
booking photo), is currently out on bail
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A portion of the filing, obtained and laid bare by FOX 35 Orlando read, 'At
the time, an unknown white male subject approached the scene of the minor
accident and exclaimed, "What the hell, you hit my car!"'
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Filed on July 27 in
The Villages - the age restricted community where the
incident occurred and where Zook had lived with his wife
since 1981 - continued: 'The victim admitted to hitting the
vehicle with his vehicle and asked to exchange insurance
information.
'The unknown subject then struck the 87-year-old victim in
the jaw with a closed fist, pushing him backwards,' police
noted.
At that point, Zook - whose relatives said he loved the game
of golf and a lifetime player - attempted to protect himself
with his hands, but he was unable, the document stated.
A barrage of punches from the 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound
suspect ensued, which only ended after Moore realized the
car did not belong to him, police said.
A call was placed to 911, and Sumter County sheriff’s
deputies responded. They arrived at the 126-year-old club to
find Zook and his wife still in the parking lot, with Moore
Jr. already gone.
During an interview with deputies, Zook began to slur his
words and became visibly unsteady, to the point where he was
transported to a local hospital.
Following an initial analysis, doctors at the UF Health-The
Villages Hospital discovered the senior was suffering from
internal bleeding in his brain.
The fatal altercation at the country club - which has a full
golf course and is nestled in a quite North Florida
retirement community - happened after Moore Jr. mistakenly
thought his car was struck by Zook's when he and his wife
pulled into the club for a dinner date at its restaurant.
Cops arrived at the 126-year-old club to
find Zook and his wife still in the parking lot, with Moore
Jr already gone.
He was then airlifted to a facility in
Gainesville, after being deemed 'unresponsive,' cops wrote
in Moore Jr.'s charging documents. |
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Pictured smiling after performing the feat in
November , Moore Jr., 76, has since been arrested for the June 28
incident - which happened at the Glenview County Club and left Dean
William Zook (not pictured) dead a day before his 88th birthday
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Zook's condition deteriorated until a little over two weeks later, when he
was placed on hospice care at Shands on July 15. He died the following day.
Doctors at the time blamed the Florida golfer's death on 'the trauma he
sustained from being punched'.
Meanwhile, a search for his assailant began, with deputies from the Sumter
County Sheriff's office using surveillance photos of a man who fit the
description of Zook's attacker picking up food at club earlier that day to
quickly hone in on Moore Jr.
Surveillance footage also showed the man bumping into a server and spilling
drinks on a customer at the bar, leading cops to a tip that pointed to a
photo of a man fitting that description and going by the name 'Bob.'
After analyzing the image, detectives did a Google search using the picture
they came across to find the hole-in-one photo of Moore from Villages-News.com
from months earlier, snapped at the nearby Tarpon Boil Executive Golf
Course, also in The Villages.
The detective wrote how they zeroed in on Moore Jr. - who wore the same
clothes seen in the Village-News photo as the day of the attack.
'Moore appeared to be wearing the same shoes, shorts and sunglasses as seen
in the video surveillance from Glenview Country Club,' police noted.
The detective also noted Glenview's proximity to Moore's home in the Village
of Polo Ridge, and the fact his black Lexus RX350 was almost identical to
the vehicle struck by Zook before the fatal attack.
Within days, Moore was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center - where
he reportedly told deputies he thought Zook was trying to flee the scene of
accident and that he was unaware of the victim's age.
Cops further stated in the affidavit: 'The defendant also admitted to
knowing the victim was older and appeared to be frail, but stated he did not
think he was 87 years of age.'
Moore Jr. was released later that day after posting a $30,000 bond. Cops
said Sunday they are actively investigating the incident.
A subpoena was issued this week seeking all records from The Villages Public
Safety Department in connection with the injuries suffered by Zook, whose
family mourned him as a 'kind-hearted gentleman who brightened their lives'
in a recent memorial.
It read: 'Dean's love for golf was evident throughout his life. He spent
countless hours on the golf course, enjoying the camaraderie of fellow
players and finding solace in the sport he cherished.
'His infectious smile and good-spirited nature made him a joy to be around,
and he was a well-known and respected member of the golfing community.
'Dean's legacy will live on in the hearts of his family and friends, who
remember him for his gentle spirit, his love for the game of golf, and the
joy he brought to their lives.
'He leaves behind cherished memories that will be treasured for generations
to come.'
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