Inverness man charged with murder as the result of Sept. 9 altercation in jail
Mugshot of Brodrick Larnell Houston, 33, of Inverness, FL, courfesy of CCSO.
Citrus County, Florida - On October 18, 2022, 33 year-old Brodrick Larnell Houston of Inverness, Florida, was arrested by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, charged with murder. This arrest stems from an altercation that occurred in September between Houston and another inmate at the Citrus County Detention Facility in Lecanto, Florida, where Houston was in custody on unrelated charges.
On September 9, 2022, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office was informed by staff members at the Citrus County Detention Facility (operated by CoreCivic) that Gerald Raymond Dietrich, Jr., a 40 year-old inmate at the jail, had been transported to a hospital with an unknown medical condition. Citrus County deputies who responded to the call determined that Dietrich and Houston had been involved in a physical altercation, earlier in the day, that may have led to his hospitalization. Dietrich passed away at the hospital, later that night.
As the result of an investigation by Detective Roscoe Watts with the agency's Major Crimes Unit, Houston was charged with third degree murder and aggravated battery by a jail detainee on another jail detainee, with his bond set at $30,000. During this investigation, Houston had remained in custody at the Citrus County Detention Facility as a result of previous charges against him, before the incident with Mr. Dietrich.
"Houston has no regard for the laws of society and chose to take the life of another man" said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "Individuals like Houston are a danger to the citizens and to the safety of Citrus County. Hopefully this arrest will bring peace to the victim's family and be the first step in seeking justice for Houston's actions."