TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Man Charged In Death Of Brooksville Property Appraiser

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 22, 2009

Updated: 01/22/2009 11:42 am

Man Charged In Death Of Brooksville Property Appraiser

By JOSH POLTILOVE

The Tampa Tribune

BROOKSVILLE

Brooksville police say 35-year-old Monty Gregg Albright robbed and strangled a man this week.

Albright was arrested at 10:20 p.m. Wednesday. He was charged with first-degree homicide.

Police say Albright went to 27 Cherry St. on Monday and bound the victim, 58-year-old Steven Van Slyke, who is a local property appraiser. Albright got Van Slyke's bank card and pin number, took the victim's vehicle to a bank machine and withdrew cash, police say.

"The defendant returned to the victim's residence, where he then strangled the victim to death," a Brooksville police news release states. "The ligature was tied from the victim's neck to a bed post, then manually tightened by the defendant. The victim's hands and legs were also bound to the chair."

Albright tried cleaning up the scene and hiding Van Slyke's body under a bed, police say.

"He fled the scene in the victim's car and continued the unauthorized use of the victim bank card," the release states.

Van Slyke's body was found Tuesday by a friend and business partner who wanted to check on the man after being unable to reach him by phone. Van Slyke's gold Volvo was reported missing and was later found at an undisclosed location.

The investigation continues.

Additional charges are pending, according to police, who say Albright acted alone.

Albright and Van Slyke had known each other about three weeks and "had an undetermined type relationship," Brooksville police Chief George Turner wrote in an e-mail to the Tribune.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691. Information from Hernando Today was used in this report.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT