Murder of a library director leaves his friends, police searching for answers

A homeless man stabbed another man outside a Fort Myers Beach library Sunday. He will face a judge Tuesday. In the meantime, those close to the man are searching for a reason for the tragedy.

Keri Weeg is among the friends who are only beginning to grapple with the brutal death of the Fort Myers Beach Library Director Dr. Leeroy Hommerding.

“Just the sweetest kindest human,” said Weeg, a friend.

But they are now coming to grips with the fact that the suspect is a familiar person.

His killer: Adam Soules.

“I did know this individual,” said Mark Lafave, a friend of Hommerding. “It only brings home how unfortunate this is really for everybody.”

Friends said everybody knew Hommerding had a soft spot for people frequenting a library.

“Leroy would often ban people on a personal level without calling the police,” Lafave said. “If it got worse, then we would get the police involved.”

Now, with the state looking to charge the accused killer with first-degree murder, some are wondering if the suspect was someone Hommerding knew.

“We never had violence,” Weeg said. “We’ve never had anything like this and my heart just breaks for him. He literally gave his life to that library.”