The Brief
- The Hillsborough County woman accused of killing her sister and burying her in the backyard was found guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday.
- Debra Patton, 72, stood trial this week in the May 2021 killing of her sister, Karen Pais.
- Patton will get a pre-sentencing investigation. Her sentence will then be handed down at a later date.
TAMPA, Fla. – The Hillsborough County woman accused of killing her sister and burying her in the backyard was found guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday.
Debra Patton, 72, stood trial this week in the May 2021 killing of her sister, Karen Pais. State prosecutors said Patton shot and killed Pais before burying her in the backyard of their Carrollwood home.
The case took more than four and a half years to go to trial, after multiple delays in court proceedings. Patton also spent two years in a mental health hospital, after at one point being deemed incompetent to stand trial.
Debra Patton’s trial
The backstory:…