Sarasota man gets life sentence for murder of man he met online

A Sarasota man who was found guilty of murder earlier this year has been sentenced to life in prison, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Daniel Davenport, 31, was arrested in connection with the murder of Sergio Hostins, 55, in October 2018.

Police say the men first met online and then in person on Oct. 4 at Hostins’ Sarasota apartment, at which time Hostins took nude photos of Davenport.

Hostins was never seen alive again, according to the sheriff’s office.

On Oct. 7, Davenport showed up at his brother-in-law’s home, stated that he had a body he needed to get rid of and asked, “How far offshore would you have to go to dump something so it would not be found?” according to police records.

He was driving a green Subaru Forester that his brother-in-law had never seen in his possession.

On Oct. 8, a friend of Hostins’ filed a missing person report and noted that his friend’s green Subaru Forester was missing as well. The following day, Hostins’ body was discovered by construction workers near a Naples home that was being remodeled.

A witness told Collier County Sheriff’s Office detectives that the Subaru had been parked in the driveway that same day, and Davenport’s fingerprints were later discovered inside the home.

Meanwhile, Davenport had fled in the stolen vehicle.

Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies tracked Davenport down on Oct. 19 in Orlando, and he was taken into custody.

Davenport was found guilty of murder, fraud and motor vehicle theft in May 2019.

The case was prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office. Davenport is sentenced to life in prison and multiple concurrent sentences, according to the sheriff’s office.