Man convicted of murder sentenced to life in prison
A Cape Coral man was sentenced to prison Monday after recently being convicted of murder.
Kenneth Bailey Roop, 53, of 1815 S.W. 30th Terrace, was found guilty Aug. 29 of second-degree murder with a firearm in the death of Nicholas Robert Rainey, 30. Jurors deliberated for approximately two hours becoming coming to the verdict, according to officials with the State Attorney’s Office.
On Monday, the presiding judge sentenced Roop to life behind bars.
“He was sentenced to life in prison,” Samantha Syoen, spokeswoman for the state, said.
Assistant State Attorneys Amira Fox and Andreas Gardiner handled the case.
“Obviously, we’re happy. He was sentenced to the maximum he could get,” Syoen said.
“It was a heinous murder,” she added.
On July 25, 2012, Cape Coral police responded to numerous calls about a man, later identified as Rainey, who had been shot outside of a home at 1815 S.W. 30th Terrace. Rainey, of 4541 Palm Beach Blvd., Fort Myers, was found dead in the driveway with multiple gunshot wounds, officials said.
Rainey, a door-to-door salesman for Blue Ribbon, had been going from home to home selling meat. When Roop returned home and pulled into his driveway, Rainey approached; Roop then shot him.
According to records, Roop was charged in 2005 with one misdemeanor count of improper exhibition of weapon in Sumter County, Fla. He was acquitted of the charge after a jury found him not guilty.
Attorney John Musca represented Roop.
He did not return a message seeking comment Tuesday.