A feud over a missing dessert ended in a double killing inside a Florida home, police say.

Mark Robinson, 69, has been arrested after investigators say he shot and killed the two men who lived with him in Ocala. Those killed were Charles Etheze (69) along with Michael Menkes (78).

Robinson owns the house. According to the arrest affidavit, he told officers he had been clashing with both men for some time, including over rent he says they did not pay.

Police were already there that day

Officers had made no fewer than three trips to the house in 2026. Etheze himself had reached out to officers several times in the weeks before the shooting.

Earlier on the day of the killings Robinson phoned police to report that one of the men had eaten his ice cream.

"I have a very young officer trying to calm three 60, 70-year-old men down over ice cream. It's a ridiculous situation to happen," Police Chief Mike Balken told reporters.

Balken called the home a "dysfunctional living arrangement" and did not hold back about the suspect. "It's clear that the homeowner, quite frankly, was an angry old man that had some alcohol problems and could get nasty with not only his neighbors but his tenants as well," he said.

The suspect's version

Robinson admitted to detectives that he had been drinking heavily, finishing about 1.5 bottles of wine. After officers left, he says, the two men headed out for one of their usual walks.

Fearing a clash once they came back, Robinson says he brought his Benelli 12-gauge shotgun into the living room because he "felt like there was going to be trouble."

He claims the pair called themselves the "ice cream bandits" when they walked in and then charged at him. He says Etheze was holding a knife, so he fired, then shot again when Etheze tried to stand.

Holes in the story

Investigators say the evidence does not line up with that account. Etheze's body turned up in a hallway outside rather than where Robinson said the fight took place.

When pressed, Robinson admitted Etheze had backed away after the first blast. He says he followed him and fired the second round.

Menkes allegedly tried to flee through the front door. Robinson told police he shot him in the back near the front gate because he thought Menkes was going to "come after him."

The chief said Robinson was known in the area for being "cantankerous" with neighbors and kids.

He is claiming self-defense. For now he faces one count of second-degree murder and more charges could follow. He reportedly would not put his signature on the judge's findings during his first hearing.