Debra Patton sentenced to life in prison for sister’s murder

The Brief

  • Debra Patton was sentenced to life in prison on Monday morning for her sister’s murder in 2021.
  • Last month, a Hillsborough County jury took just about one hour of deliberation to return a guilty verdict against Patton.
  • Prosecutors successfully argued that Patton shot her sister in the chest before wrapping her body in bags and burying her a foot deep in the backyard of the home they shared on Cypress Park Street.

TAMPA Justice has finally arrived for Karen Pais, the Carrollwood woman whose 2021 disappearance ended in a grisly discovery in her own backyard. Her sister, 72-year-old Debra Patton, was sentenced to life in prison for her murder on Monday morning.

Following a trial that was delayed for years by competency evaluations and legal maneuvering, a Hillsborough County jury took just about one hour of deliberation to return a guilty verdict against Patton.

The backstory:

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