Second suspect arrested in killing of man found buried in Lee County

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — A second man has been arrested in connection with the killing of 46-year-old Steven Roth, whose remains were found buried near Cypress Lake Drive and U.S. 41 earlier this year.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno held a news conference Tuesday. He said Justin Kight is charged with second-degree murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

WATCH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE ABOVE

Gabriel Leon-Torres was previously arrested in August and faces the same charges. Sheriff Carmine Marceno said both suspects knew each other and that investigators believe a verbal dispute near South Cleveland Avenue and Cypress Lake Drive turned physical and violent.

RELATED: Human remains found near Lee County Elections Center, facility not involved

Marceno said both suspects were involved in Roth’s beating and killing and later helped move his body.

Investigators said Roth suffered significant trauma, including multiple injuries consistent with stab wounds throughout his body. The Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide.

The investigation began Oct. 23, 2025, when Roth was reported missing. Marceno said detectives initially had limited information, conflicting accounts and rumors about what happened to him.

As the investigation continued, detectives determined Roth had been involved in a violent altercation and that his body was moved and concealed after his death.

For months, investigators searched for Roth without finding him. In March, LCSO asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for help. FDLE brought in ground-penetrating radar to search for disturbances beneath the soil.

FDLE Special Agent in Charge Eli Lawson said the equipment can detect anomalies underground that could point investigators toward a possible grave site. Once investigators identified an area of interest, LCSO detectives and crime scene technicians excavated the site and found human remains.

Those remains were later identified as Roth. Marceno said the burial site was northwest of Cypress Lake Drive and U.S. 41 and was not connected to any specific building.

LCSO has repeatedly said the nearby Lee County Elections Office had no involvement in the case.

Leon-Torres was arrested Aug. 13 after detectives developed probable cause to charge him with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Marceno said detectives continued working the case and eventually identified Kight as a second suspect.

“Gabriel and Justin, they were both involved in the beating and killing, and then both moving the body,” Marceno said during Tuesday’s news conference.

Marceno said the two suspects were acquaintances of Roth and that some type of dispute led to the violence.

“The two suspects believed they could make an innocent man disappear and take the truth with him. They were wrong,” Marceno said.

Roth’s brother told WINK News he did not have much to say at this time about the arrests but said he wants justice for his brother.

The investigation remains active, and LCSO said detectives are continuing to work with the State Attorney’s Office as the case moves forward.

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