Authorities in Pinellas County have arrested two sisters for murdering their own elderly father in 2015. In March of that year, the man had died in a manner that didn’t cause authorities to suspect foul play. Because he was an 85-year-old cancer patient, responding paramedics had no problem believing the statements of his daughters, who initially claimed that their father had passed out exhausted after a day trip and died in his sleep.
In early 2019, one of the sisters allegedly confessed the murder to a friend she had met at a bar. The unnamed friend approached the police bearing secret recordings of the daugther allegedly discussing her crime.
According to a representative of the Pinellas County Sherriff’s Office, after trying and failing to poison their father with sleeping pills and alcohol, the daughters suffocated him. No motive has been found for the alleged act, but it has been noted that money was apparently not a primary factor in the alleged act. The sisters eventually sold their late father’s home for $110,000 and gave their brother a share of the proceeds.
Regardless of the motive, if it is found by a Florida jury that the act of killing someone was premeditated, the defendant could receive a death sentence, as the death penalty remains legal in the state. Even a lesser sentence could result in the defendant spending the rest of his or her life in prison. Accordingly, people who are in this type of a situation should contact an Orlando, Florida, murder and violent charges attorney as soon as practicable so that a defense strategy can be constructed.