HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — 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.
WATCH: Trial begins in trial of woman accused of killing sister in Carrollwood
"She put a bullet in her chest and then wrapped her up in towels and plastic bags, bungee cords, duct tape. You'll see how she was wrapped up, then took her into her own backyard and buried in her the ground," said assistant state attorney John Terry.
Prosectors say ironically, Patton buried a part of herself with her sister, inside two latex gloves.
"These latex gloves were sent to a lab, they were swabbed. And the interior of both those gloves contains only one person's DNA. And it was that person's right there, Debra Patton," Terry told the jury.
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.
"She sits here because they simply didn't know what else to do at that point in time," said defense attorney Maria Dunker.
We've been covering this case since Patton was arrested in 2021.
And talked to friends who told us Pais had predicted something terrible might happen.
"I've heard Karen say it many times, she's going to kill me one day," Jan Wilder said in a 2021 interview.
"She always told us if I disappear or I'm dead, tell them my sister did it," Pam Nelson said days after the arrest.
Some of Karen's friends took the stand, including Debroah Wishon, who told the jury she confronted Patton about the dirt pile in the backyard.
"I said Karen's in there, isn't she?"
"She just didn't really respond to you," Terry asked.
"No, she did not."
Patton underwent multiple mental health evaluations, but was found competent to stand trial.
It just so happened a Hillsborough County detective lived across the street and had hours of surveillance video that investigators went through. Prosecutors say it shows Karen Pais working in the yard one last time, and she was never seen alive again.
Read Adam Walser's Coverage
- Carrollwood woman charged with killing her sister threatened to murder ex-husband years ago
- Woman accused of murdering sister, burying her body claims she's competent to stand trial
- Woman accused of murdering sister, burying her in backyard found competent
- Florida sister murder case finally heads to trial after years of delays
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