Generous man’s kindness may have led to his death
A retired telecommunications executive found dead in the exclusive Colee Hammock neighborhood of Fort Lauder dale may have been targeted because of his kindness, a friend said.
Guy Hamilton Eargle, Jr., 68, of Atlanta, died from head injuries, the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office said. His body was discovered Monday night in a house he rented in the 400 block of Southeast 17th Avenue, south of East Las Olas Boulevard.
“He was generous and wealthy, and unfortunately that may have led to his demise,” Joseph Di Corpo of Atlanta said Thursday. “He made friends too easy.”
Three days after the homicide, Fort Lauderdale police detectives were still investigating why he was killed. They have been interviewing Eargle’s friends in Fort Lauderdale, who declined to comment Thursday so as not to jeopardize the case.
Police won’t say who found Eargle’s body or whether there had been a burglary. Detective Tracy Figone said Thursday she did not know when detectives might release more information.
DiCorpo of Atlanta, a friend of Eargle’s fortwo decades, said friends from South Florida
found the body.
Eargle had a successful career specializing in cell towers andworked for companies and governments around the world, DiCorpo said.
Though Eargle was reentering the telecommunications field, hewas also enjoying retirement and was dating again after the end of a long-term relationship, DiCorpo said.
His hobbies included golf and funding the renovation of his small collection of luxury cars that included a Bentley, Rolls-Royce and a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. He kept a Ferrari in Fort Lauderdale.
“We are what’s called ‘checkbook restorers,’” said DiCorpo, who shared the hobby with his friend.
Eargle liked to travel, see new places and try new restaurants, bars and clubs.
“If there was a music artist he wanted to see, he wouldn’t hesitate to fly to Los Angeles to see them, and he frequently took a lot of friends with him,” DiCorpo said.
In Fort Lauderdale, Eargle frequented the Lobster Bar Sea Grille on East Las Olas Boulevard, a staffer said. DiCorpo, a physician, said hewould often join Eargle at a private dining club in Atlanta.
Records show Eargle was twice married and divorced, most recently in 1986. He had a brother and an adult daughter, neither of whom could be reached.
Eargle attended Miami Norland Senior High, according to his Facebook page, and in 1969 was drafted by the San Diego Padres out of the University of South Carolina to play first base and outfield, and had a three-year career in the minor leagues.
In Atlanta, DiCorpo said his friend owned properties in the Buckhead neighborhood and supported various charities by attending gala fundraising events.
“He’d had some health problems but he’d gotten over them,” DiCorpo said. “He was very positive, looking forward to new business ventures and getting back into the game a little bit. He was a very energetic 68.
“I feel a tremendous void,” DiCorpo said. “The club will not be the same without him.”
Fort Lauderdale police ask anyone with information to call Detective Mark Breen at 954-828-5708 or Detective Jason Wood, at 954-828-5344.
Staff researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.