A man identified as being from Rochester when arrested has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for fatally stabbing a Penn Yan truck driver who had taken him in off the side of a road about a month earlier, fed him, and made sure he had shelter. Richard Leo, now 37, admitted in Monroe County Court to killing 40-year-old Daniel Fiero inside a room at the Extended Stay America on Commons Way on January 31, 2026.
Monroe County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the motel at 2:52 p.m. that day after a 911 caller reported an active dispute inside a room, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. Deputies found Leo covered in blood and Fiero dead from multiple stab wounds. Leo was detained at the scene and interviewed at the MCSO B-Zone Substation before being charged, the sheriff's office said.
Monroe County prosecutors say the violence followed an extraordinary act of kindness. According to 13WHAM-TV, Fiero found Leo walking alongside a road in the cold in December 2025, about a month before the killing, offered him a ride, and learned he was a homeless veteran. Fiero then made sure Leo had food and a place to stay for the following month, eventually bringing him to the Henrietta Extended Stay America.
Prosecutors Describe Kindness Repaid With Violence
Assistant District Attorney Patrick Gallagher said Fiero was compassionate and generous toward a stranger in need, and that Leo repaid that kindness with violence, per 13WHAM-TV's reporting. Monroe County District Attorney Brian Green said Fiero lost his life while helping someone in need. Prosecutors say Leo attacked Fiero out of anger, and that Fiero died from extreme injuries to his head and face along with multiple stab wounds, according to the district attorney's release cited by the station.
Leo was arraigned in Monroe County CAP Court the morning of February 1, 2026, and held without bail. Investigators determined at the time that the attack stemmed from an isolated dispute and posed no ongoing threat to public safety, as reported by Fingerlakes1.com. The outlet also noted that Fiero lived in the village of Penn Yan, about 50 miles southeast of Henrietta, tying the loss to the broader Finger Lakes community.
Family Says Attack Was a Hate Crime
While the Monroe County District Attorney's Office resolved the case through a second-degree murder plea without hate crime charges, Fiero's family has publicly described the killing differently. A GoFundMe campaign organized by relatives states Fiero was murdered in a homophobic hate crime, according to CDLLife, which also detailed Fiero's years working as a truck driver.
Family members also described Fiero as a dedicated primary caregiver for his sister, who has special needs. A separate memorial fundraiser created by Fiero's cousin in February 2026 had raised $5,695 toward a $10,000 goal, money meant to cover unexpected funeral costs and support his sister's ongoing care, according to the GoFundMe page.
Mandatory Sentence Looms in November
Leo is scheduled to be sentenced on November 16, 2026. Under New York Penal Law § 125.25, second-degree murder is a Class A-I felony carrying a mandatory statutory sentencing range of 15 to 25 years to life in state prison, according to the Marwaha Law Group. New York abolished the death penalty in 2004; some second-degree murder cases carry life without parole.
New York law reserves first-degree murder charges for cases involving specific aggravating factors, such as killings that target law enforcement officers, judges, or witnesses, or that occur during acts of terrorism or torture, per the New York State Senate's codification of Penal Law § 125.27. None of those statutory factors applied in Leo's case, which is why second-degree murder was the applicable charge.
Violent crime and homicides across Monroe County have declined significantly in 2024 and 2025 compared to peak pandemic years, according to WXXI News, even as local crisis teams continue working to support vulnerable unhoused residents.
