HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Opening statements began Tuesday in the trial of a woman accused of fatally shooting her sister and burying her body in the backyard of the Carrollwood home both women shared.
Debra Patton, 67, was arrested in May 2021 after investigators said she fatally shot her sister Karen Pais, buried her in the backyard, and responded to her friends' text messages using her late sister's phone for days after her death.
Patton is charged with second-degree murder and abuse of a dead human body.
Investigative reporter Adam Walser has been following this case since Patton's arrest nearly five years ago.
Friends of Pais say she told them Patton threatened to kill her in the past.
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Pais' friends have regularly attended court hearings, according to the State Attorney's Office.
This is a developing story. Tampa Bay 28 will provide more details as they become available.
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