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Florida Man Allegedly Killed Brother Over A Cheeseburger

By Chelsea Hoffman
Published on: 10:25 PST, May 8, 2016

A St. Cloud, Florida man has been arrested after authorities say he killed his own brother. However, the actual murder of his brother isn’t the detail attracting the most attention in headlines and on social media. Crimesider reports that 25-year-old Benjamin Middendorf is accused of killing the man during a fight over a cheeseburger.

The incident reportedly took place on Thursday night. Authorities responded to a 911 call made by the 25-year-old suspect. He told the dispatch operator that he had shot his brother while the two were fighting. When authorities showed up at the scene of the incident, the Florida man told them that he was being “bullied” by his brother over a cheeseburger. The circumstances surrounding this incident haven’t been clarified, bizarrely enough.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Middendorf did attempt to save his brother’s life after allegedly shooting him at least once in the chest. The 911 recording reportedly depicts this attempt, while the Florida man screamed for help on the phone.

“I grabbed a gun and I shot him. Oh, my God.”

By the time police in St. Cloud arrived at the home where the incident had taken place, they were too late. Nicholas Middendorf, 28-years-old, had died from a gunshot wound to his chest.

This isn’t the first time a fight over food has turned deadly. Last November, a Texas man reportedly stabbed his roommate to death after the man ate “the last piece of fried chicken.” What started as a “dinnertime squabble” over the last drumstick turned deadly when the Texas man used a kitchen knife to brutally attack the other man. Police noted at the time that it was “pretty tragic” that someone was literally killed over a piece of chicken.


Also last November, a New Orleans man allegedly killed his own father and violently attacked his mother. The reason for the alleged stabbing? The man’s parents ordered themselves some fast food and forgot to get him some. Reports aren’t indicating what franchise of fast food the family brought home, but it set the 32-year-old Louisiana man into a rage when they didn’t bring him any.

Also last year, a Florida teenager reportedly shot and killed his six-year-old brother and then wounded another of his siblings. He then turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. CNN reported that the 13-year-old Florida teen killed his little brother after the two had argued about food. The details of what exactly transpired aren’t known, but the fight escalated during dinnertime while the boys fought about the food. The teenager retrieved a handgun from somewhere in the home before going on the grisly rampage that left him and his little brother dead.

As for this latest case of food-related violence, Florida man Benjamin Middendorf has been charged with first-degree murder. He is currently being held at Osceola County Jail with no bond, meaning he won’t be released from the jail any time soon.

[Image via Osceola County Jail]

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