Hillsborough woman found guilty of killing sister, burying her in Carrollwood backyard

Woman accused of murdering sister stands trial

Prosecutors said a 72-year-old woman killed her own sister and buried her in the backyard in Hillsborough County. But, her defense attorneys said  the state has no proof. FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports. 

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. 

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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:

The state said Patton was living at Pais' home, but that the sisters' relationship had become rocky in the years leading up to Pais' death. Several of Pais' friends testified on Tuesday, telling the court that there was visible tension between Patton and Pais.

"Debra was not interested in joining us anymore," Pais' friend said during the trial. "She would walk by to take the dog out and not speak to us. Just got rather cold, distant."

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Prosecutors said Pais' friends stopped hearing from her around the time of her death. When they did receive messages from her, they said something seemed off.

What they're saying:

Friends went over to Pais' home multiple times to check on her and saw some of her belongings like her car, but couldn't find her. Prosecutors said when Pais' friends asked Patton where her sister was, she allegedly dismissed them.

"She asks her, 'Is Karen in that hole? Is Karen in that hole?'" the prosecutor said. "And, you will hear that Debra Patton basically ignores her. Says, 'No, I don't know what you're talking about.'"

After a missing persons search began, the state said deputies discovered that a fellow Hillsborough County deputy lived across the street and had security cameras that had a view of the front of Pais' home. The deputy testified on Tuesday that he saw Pais going into her home one day on security camera footage.

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The deputy said Patton was believed to be seen on video later that night taking a garbage bag out to the trashcan.

The other side:

During the trial, the defense argued that there was no evidence that directly tied Patton to Pais' murder. Patton's attorney referenced the large dirt area in Pais' backyard where she was later found buried. She questioned Pais' friends, who confirmed she was regularly doing yard work and gardening.

Patton's attorney also argued that if there were concerns about the suspicious messages Pais' friends were receiving, investigators could've searched her phone.

"They never try and locate the phone," Maria Dunker, Patton's public defender, said during trial. "They don't pull any phone records to try and see, had the phone been at the house the whole time where Ms. Patton was?"

What's next:

Now that Patton has been found guilty, she will get a pre-sentencing investigation. Her sentence will be handed down at a later date.