Florida country club road-rage confrontation ends with 87-year-old man dead after blow and suspect, 76, facing manslaughter charges

In a traffic accident at a Florida country club, an elderly man was beaten to death and another golfer was charged with manslaughter.

Pictured smiling after performing the nearly impossible feat in February, Robert Edward Moore Jr., 76, has since been arrested for the June 28 incident — which happened at the Glenview County Club and left Dean William Zook, 87, dead .

Moore Jr. – who mistakenly believed his car had been hit by Zook’s when he and his wife drove into the golf club for dinner at the restaurant – is charged with aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 years in prison. jail.

Police used a news photo of Moore Jr.’s recent hole-in-one. to help identify him as the suspect in the case, as he wore the same clothing for the lucky shot as was spotted by the suspect in the parking lot attack.

Now mourned by his family, Zook died less than three weeks after the altercation took place – one day before his 88th birthday.

Moore Jr., 76, pictured smiling after performing the feat in February, has since been arrested for the June 28 incident – which happened at the Glenview County Club and Dean William Zook (not pictured) a day before his 88th birthday killed

A subpoena has since been issued for EMS data related to the senior’s death – indicating that the prosecutor’s office is beginning to build its case against his alleged assailant, who is now free on $30,000 bail.

Moore Jr.’s affidavit, filed after police used the Digest Villages-News.com photo to help track him down, describes how the deadly incident unfolded.

It also showed how it all stemmed from a misunderstanding – with Moore realizing that the car Zook hit after the beating actually belonged to someone else and was only the same model as his parking space elsewhere in the facility.

Part of the submission obtained and exposed by FOX 35 Orlando read: ‘At the time, an unidentified white male subject approached the scene of the minor accident and exclaimed, “What the hell, you hit my car!”‘

Filed July 27 in The Villages — the age-restricted community where the incident took place and where Zook had lived with his wife since 1981 — continued, “The victim admitted to hitting the vehicle with his vehicle and requested that insurance information be exchanged.

“The unknown person then hit the 87-year-old victim in the jaw with a closed fist and pushed him backwards,” police noted.

At the time, Zook — whose relatives said he was fond of golf and a lifelong player — tried to protect himself with his hands, but was unsuccessful, the document said.

A barrage of punches from the 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound suspect ensued, ending only after Moore realized the car wasn’t his, police said.

A call was made 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 smear his words and became visibly unsteady, to the point where he was transported to a local hospital.

After an initial analysis, doctors at UF Health-The Villages Hospital found that 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 quiet North Florida senior community — happened after Moore Jr. mistakenly thought his car had been hit by Zook’s when he and his wife drove into the club for dinner. date at his restaurant

Police arrived at the 126-year-old club and found 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,” police wrote in Moore Jr.’s indictment documents.

The condition of Moore Jr. worsened until just over two weeks later when he was placed in a hospice in Shands on July 15. He died the next day.

Doctors at the time blamed the Florida golfer’s death on “the trauma he suffered 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 fitting the description of Zook’s assailant who picked up food at the club earlier that day to quickly locate Moore Jr.

Surveillance footage also showed the man crashing into a server and spilling drinks on a customer at the bar, leading police to a tip pointing to a photo of a man fitting that description who went by the name “Bob.”

After analyzing the image, detectives searched Google using the photo they came across to find Moore’s hole-in-one photo from Villages-News.com from months earlier, taken at the nearby Tarpon Boil Executive Golf Course, also in the villages.

The detective wrote how they targeted Moore Jr. — who was wearing the same clothes as in the Village-News photo on the day of the attack.

“Moore appeared to be wearing the same shoes, shorts and sunglasses as seen on video surveillance at Glenview Country Club,” police noted.

The detective also noted that Glenview was near Moore’s home in the village of Polo Ridge, and that his black Lexus RX350 was nearly identical to the vehicle hit by Zook before the fatal attack.

Within days, Moore was booked into the Sumter County Detention Center – where he reportedly told deputies that he believed Zook was trying to flee the scene of the accident and was unaware of the victim’s age.

The police further stated in the affidavit, “The defendant also admitted to knowing that the victim was older and appeared frail, but stated that he did not believe he was 87 years old.”

Moore Jr. was released later that day after posting $30,000 bail. Police said on Sunday they are actively investigating the incident.

A subpoena was issued this week requesting all records from The Villages Public Security Department in connection with the injuries of Zook, whose family mourned him as a “kind-hearted gentleman who brightened their lives” in a recent memorial.

It read, “Dean’s love of 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 cheerful disposition 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 will remember him for his gentle spirit, love of golf and the joy he brought to their lives.

“He leaves behind fond memories that will be cherished for generations.”