North Fort Myers murder victim was strangled to death

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Photo via Covenant Presbyterian Church directory.
Jo Ann Leasure (Photo via Covenant Presbyterian Church directory)

FORT MYERS, Fla. A 77-year-old North Fort Myers woman found dead in her home last month was strangled to death, a medical examiner determined.

Jo Ann Leasure’s hands were bound, and the same material was wrapped around her neck, according to an arrest affidavit. Her body was also beaten, Lee County Sheriff’s Office detectives said.

Brett Pleasant, 51, of Fort Myers, faces charges of second-degree murder, robbery and violating his parole in Leasure’s death.

A friend Of Leasure’s discovered her body June 21 when she went to Leasure’s sixth-floor condo at The Parkway in North Fort Myers to check on her after she didn’t show up to teach vacation bible school at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Fort Myers, the affidavit states.

Brett Pleasant (Photo via Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

It’s unclear whether Leasure was randomly targeted or if Pleasant knew her before the murder.

But Leasure’s wallet and cellphone were found four blocks from Pleasant’s home on the 2600 block of Broadway Avenue, according to the affidavit. The phone was damaged and it appeared someone tried to get it to stop working, sheriff’s office detectives said.

Pleasant is in jail without bond.

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