Brett Todd Pleasant, 55, was found guilty of Second Degree Murder for the 2017 murder of a 77-year-old woman in her North Fort Myers home. The jury returned the guilty verdict after about two hours of deliberations, following a three-day trial in Lee County.
The victim was reported missing when she did not show up to teach at vacation bible school. She was found dead in her condo with her hands bound behind her back. She had been beaten and strangled to death. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded and assumed the investigation.
Foreign material that had been used to bound and murder the victim, was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing. A latent fingerprint was recovered during the processing, belonging to the defendant, leading to the arrest of Pleasant.
Prosecutors with the State Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit, Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner and Assistant State Attorney Sara Miller, handled the case. Sentencing is scheduled for December 16th.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office