Homeless Man Murdered in Revenge

Last December, Travis Riley, 24, Gabriel Greer, 16, and Richard Morse Jr attacked two homeless men in Gibsonton, Florida. Police said the three threw rocks and proceeded to beat homeless men Jeffery Price and Kenneth Wilson when they fell. Price pulled a pocket knife and stabbed Greer and Riley. The men fled. They were later arrested.

Jeffery Price was found dead on January 28, 2007. Price was severely tortured before he was killed.

GIBSONTON - Jeffrey Price was found early Sunday stomped in the face, beaten over the head with a gun, stabbed in the heart with his own knife and left naked in the rain behind an Advance Auto Parts on U.S. 41.

Morse has confessed to killing Price. He has a long criminal history. On December 29, 2006, Morse was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery second offense, third degree felony grand theft, and burglary. His arrest shows he was released.

Besides Morse's current murder charge - he also picked up charges for grand theft auto and burglary of a conveyance. (I believe that is a fraudulent transfer.) Morse was on juvenile probation when he was involved in the first confrontation.

There was a sign that this might happen.

George Burnett, 56, who knew Price from the streets, said he was sitting on a curb around that time when a deputy rolled down his window and asked if he had seen Travis Riley.

"He's out," Burnett recalled the deputy saying. "And he's out for revenge."

Deputies scoured Gibsonton for Riley.

"When someone wants to go underground who doesn't have a lot of ties and connections to the community," Shrader said, "who doesn't have a job they go to every day, doesn't have a family - you can go underground and stay gone for a while."

Riley was with Morse at the time of the murder. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery. His charges may be so light because he is spilling to the police about Morse.