'Lost his life because he chose to help someone in need': Truck driver helped out struggling veteran with food and shelter for a month — and then he was murdered

A seasoned from New York admitted to sidesplitting the antheral who helped him, providing nutrient and structure for a period aft spotting him walking down a snowy roadworthy successful the acold of winter.

Richard Leo, 37, pleaded blameworthy connected Friday to second-degree murder successful the stabbing decease of 40-year-old Daniel Fiero, the Monroe County District Attorney's Office said.

Deputies responded soon earlier 3 p.m. Jan. 31 to an extended enactment edifice successful Henrietta, which is conscionable extracurricular Rochester. When they arrived, they saw Leo lasting extracurricular a country with humor connected him. Deputies entered the room, wherever they recovered Fiero suffering from aggregate stab wounds to his caput and face.

An probe revealed that Fiero, a motortruck driver, met Leo astir a period earlier, erstwhile helium saw Leo walking down the broadside of the roadworthy successful the cold.

"After offering the suspect a ride, Daniel Fiero learned that Richard Leo was a stateless veteran," prosecutors said.

For the adjacent month, Fiero recovered lodging for Leo and bought his food.

On the time successful question, Leo killed Fiero "out of anger," prosecutors said. Authorities did not springiness a motive, but a GoFundMe started by Fiero's household called it a "homophobic hatred crime."

"Daniel Fiero mislaid his beingness due to the fact that helium chose to assistance idiosyncratic successful need, and that is simply a calamity that is hard to comprehend," said Monroe County District Attorney Brian Green. "His compassion and generosity were met with senseless unit astatine the hands of Richard Leo. No enactment of kindness should ever extremity successful specified a loss, and nary household should person to endure the heartbreak of losing a loved 1 nether these circumstances."

Assistant District Attorney Patrick Gallagher, who prosecuted the case, said Fiero was "the benignant of idiosyncratic we should each strive to be."

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"When helium encountered a alien successful need, helium did not hesitate to connection a helping hand. What began arsenic a elemental enactment of kindness became an bonzer show of compassion and generosity," Gallagher said. "Tragically, Richard Leo repaid that kindness with an unimaginable enactment of violence, brutally taking the beingness of the precise idiosyncratic who had gone retired of his mode to assistance him. Daniel deserved truthful overmuch better."

Fiero's household said successful the GoFundMe statement that helping radical came people to him. He cared for his sister, who has peculiar needs.

"The mode Dan was taken has near america angry, heartbroken, and wholly devastated," the fundraiser reads. "No household should person to hide idiosyncratic due to the fact that of hate."

Leo is acceptable to beryllium sentenced connected Nov. 16.