Kenneth Palicki, a 47-year-old white male, was tragically killed on August 18, 2017, in Marathon, Florida. The incident occurred during an eviction attempt by Ryan Wilder, a 32-year-old white male, who was the son of the property owners where Palicki was residing. According to reports, Palicki and his girlfriend, Colleen Lyons, had been living at a house on Duck Key owned by Wilder's parents.
They had been served eviction papers requiring them to vacate the premises by August 23, 2017.
On the evening of August 18, Wilder arrived at the house to enforce the eviction. When Palicki and Lyons returned home, an argument ensued between Palicki and Wilder. Lyons called the Sheriff's Office during the altercation, reporting that Wilder had a pistol in a holster on his hip. While Lyons was on the phone with the dispatcher, Wilder drew his weapon and shot Palicki four times, resulting in gunshot wounds to his left forearm, neck, mid-back, and upper thigh. Palicki was pronounced dead at Fishermen’s Community Hospital in Marathon shortly after the incident.
Following the shooting, Wilder fled the scene in his truck but was apprehended a short distance away by law enforcement. Wilder claimed that he acted in self-defense, a statement corroborated by his girlfriend, Amber Gray, who was present in the vehicle during the incident. Despite his claims, Wilder was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He was held in the Monroe County jail on Stock Island without bond.
The case against Wilder progressed slowly through the legal system. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a $750,000 bond in November 2017. The legal proceedings included multiple docket soundings and pretrial hearings, with the next significant court date scheduled for April 2018. The case attracted considerable attention due to the circumstances surrounding the eviction and the subsequent fatal shooting.
