HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The state rests its case against the woman accused of killing her sister and burying her in the backyard of a Carrollwood home.
Debra Patton's fate will soon be in the hands of a Hillsborough County jury.
Patton is on trial, accused of murdering her sister in 2021 at the Carrollwood home they shared.
A DNA expert testified Wednesday that Patton's DNA was found inside rubber gloves that were buried with her sister in the backyard.
Friends of the victim contacted police after they were unable to reach her. Her body was later discovered buried in the backyard.
Several law enforcement officers involved in the investigation also testified. One investigator said blood was found in the sunroom of the home. Another described digging up the victim's body and testified that he saw a necklace around her neck with the name Karen on it.
A doctor from the medical examiner's office testified that the victim was shot from less than three feet away. The bullet struck her lung and heart.
Patton is charged with second-degree murder.
Defense attorneys have alleged that evidence in the case was tampered with, but the judge said the defense provided no evidence to support that claim.
The judge also asked Patton whether she wanted to testify in her own defense. She declined.
On Tuesday, opening statements and witness testimony began in the trial.
Prosecutors told a jury Karen Pais was a retired engineer who loved working in her yard, especially the garden.
But they say it was that same yard where her body was found, put there after she was shot and killed by her sister, Debra Patton.
The sisters lived together at a home in Carrollwood where friends say they initially appeared to have a good relationship.
The defense will try to poke holes in the investigation, telling the jury that law enforcement never found any evidence that Patton killed her sister.
Patton underwent multiple mental health evaluations, but was found competent to stand trial.
Read Adam Walser's Coverage
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