Sarasota man charged with stabbing Bradenton man to death

A Sarasota man has been charged in the May 29 stabbing death of a Bradenton man in Sarasota, according to the Sarasota Police Department.

Larry B. Pace, 45, turned himself in at 2 p.m. Friday and was charged with murder and taken to Sarasota County jail, police said.

The victim, 42-year-old Willie C. Howard of Bradenton, was transported by the Sarasota Fire Department after the incident to Sarasota Memorial Hospital where he died.

According to a report, at approximately 4:24 a.m. May 29, officers responded to a stabbing and spoke to a witness who said he helped perform CPR on Howard. Police learned a vehicle was involved in the incident and spoke to the owner, who said he was giving Howard a ride to Manatee County when a man approached the vehicle during a traffic stop in the 2900 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and began attacking Howard. The witness told officers he believed the argument was over a woman, according to the report.

The witness said he did not see the man stab the victim, but did see a bloody knife on the passenger seat of the vehicle that did not belong to him. Howard had been sitting in that seat, according to the report. The witness told his girlfriend the male outside the vehicle went by the nickname “Nuke,” who is known to law enforcement as Pace.

Pace told officers that same day that he was in an altercation with a male by the name of Willie, according to the report. He said he and Howard argued, which led to a fight. According to the sheriff’s office, Pace’s girlfriend came to the police department for a formal interview, during which Pace called her. Pace said he was outside and asked her to come downstairs, according to the report.

According to the sheriff’s office, Pace was bleeding and had marks on his neck, arm, and fingers. Pace said, “I had to hurt him,” and Howard was “still breathing and walking around” when Pace left. His girlfriend said Pace is known to carry an “ice pick” for protection, according to the sheriff’s office.

Booking information for Pace was not immediately available on the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office website.

Anyone with information on the case can call Detective Darrell Nixon at 941-954-7078.

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Sarasota man charged with stabbing Bradenton man to death."