Inset: Karen Pais (Remembered.com). Background: Debra Patton at her trial for killing Pais in Tampa, Florida (WTVT/YouTube).
A shocking incident in Florida has ended in tragedy, as a long-standing sibling relationship turned deadly. After living together for ten years, one sister has been found guilty of murdering the other and burying her in a shallow grave in their backyard.
Debra Patton, aged 72, has been convicted of second-degree murder for the death of her 66-year-old sister, Karen Pais, in Tampa. This verdict was confirmed by the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office.
The case unraveled when friends of Karen Pais reported her missing on May 29, 2021, having not heard from her for several days. When deputies arrived at the sisters’ home on Cypress Park Street, Patton claimed ignorance of her sister’s whereabouts. However, Pais’s car, purse, credit cards, and ID remained at the residence. A neighbor’s surveillance footage, belonging to a Hillsborough County deputy, captured Pais entering the home on May 24, 2021—the last day she was seen alive. The video also showed Patton disposing of several large trash bags.
Authorities noticed a freshly disturbed patch of earth in the backyard. Upon securing a search warrant, they unearthed a two-foot-deep grave containing a trash bag shaped like a body. Inside, they discovered a body with a gunshot wound to the chest, wearing a necklace with the name “Karen.” The medical examiner later confirmed the body as that of Karen Pais.
In a police interview, after being read her Miranda rights, Patton admitted to having issues with her sister but refused to provide further details and denied any involvement in the murder.
During the trial, friends of Karen Pais testified that she had previously expressed concerns about her safety, pointing to her sister as the potential cause if anything were to happen to her. They detailed the sisters’ increasingly strained relationship leading up to the tragic event.
“Debra was not interested in joining us anymore,” her friend told jurors, according to a courtroom report from local Fox affiliate WTVT. “She would walk by to take the dog out and not speak to us. Just got rather cold, distant.”
As Pais remained missing, her friends continued to press Patton for information, especially after deputies discovered the fresh dirt.
“She asks her, ‘Is Karen in that hole? Is Karen in that hole?’” a prosecutor reportedly told jurors.
Patton ignored them.
Per WTVT, the case took several years to come to a resolution because of court delays and the defendant having been deemed incompetent to stand trial for a period of time.
Patton is set to be sentenced on Feb. 16.
