Name: Florida sister murder case finally heads to trial after years of delays
Uploaded: 2026-01-02T02:47:17.416Z
Duration: 3 min 42 s
Description: A Hillsborough County murder case that captured national attention more than four years ago is finally headed to trial later this month.

A Hillsborough County murder case that captured national attention more than four years ago is finally headed to trial later this month.

Florida

Debra Patton is scheduled to stand trial for the alleged murder of her sister, Karen Pais, whose body was found buried in the backyard of their shared home in Tampa Bay. The trial comes over 1,600 days after Patton's arrest, following multiple delays related to her mental competency and legal representation.

Investigators allege Patton fatally shot her sister and concealed the body, while friends of the victim reported prior threats. The court has ruled that certain evidence, including a threatening letter and hearsay testimony about past threats, will be excluded unless Patton claims self-defense during the proceedings.

Florida sister murder case finally heads to trial after years of delays

My team investigator Adam Walser, the trial of a woman accused of killing her sister and burying her body in the backyard is set to begin later this month. That trial date is set for 1,686 days after she was first arrested due to lots of twists and turns in the case. The circumstances of this case are pretty egregious. The victim in this case is the defendant's sister who was living with her at the time. It was a story that shocked Tampa Bay in late May of 2021. The body of Karen Pais was found buried in her own backyard days after friends say she was last seen. It's the most horrific thing that's ever happened in my life, I know that. Karen's best friends immediately suspected Karen's sister, Debra Patton, killed Karen. Investigators allege Debra fatally shot Karen then dug a hole in the backyard where she dragged her body. What she did to her after she killed her, wrapped her up in garbage bags, put her in a two foot hole in the backyard. Jan Wilder and Pam Nelson knew Karen for decades and say Karen often confided in them how Debra made threats in recent years. I've heard Karen say it many times, she's going to kill me one day. She always told us if I disappear or I'm dead, tell them my sister did it. After Debra was arrested, a troubling note was found in Karen's nightstand. Sent to Karen by Debra more than 15 years earlier, saying Debra planned to kill her ex-husband Don Patton. It was a very long letter, it was very detailed. She said she was coming up to shoot me and then shoot herself. Why did she want you dead? She blamed me for everything that went wrong in her life. Don, Jan and Pam are all listed as potential witnesses at the trial. Since her arrest, Debra has been transferred between the Hillsborough County Jail and Florida State Hospital multiple times, due to questions about her mental state. At a hearing in 2022, Patton spoke out in court for the first time. I feel that I'm incompetent. I would love to be able to intervene. By any second, psychologists or psychiatrists are incompetent. Reports from two psychiatrists were inconclusive regarding her competency at that time. Karen's friends told us they thought Debra was using the evaluation process as a stall tactic. I think she's just delaying things, for sure. I don't know why, though. I mean, why would she want to just get it over with, start your sentence? In a series of hearings over three years, Patton was eventually found to have her competency restored. I'm only getting to hear one side of the story, not the real truth. But in February, Patton asked for a new public defender, potentially causing even more delays. I'm having to, at this point, be an advocate for myself in requesting at least a public defender that is willing to fight and investigate properly. I'm really between a rock and a hard place. So, in honesty, Your Honor, I just don't have confidence in her abilities to do this. The judge denied her request. She's a professional among professionals, and I have complete confidence in her representation. That same attorney filed a motion to exclude Debra's threatening letter from evidence, which was granted. She also asked for hearsay testimony from Karen's friends about previous threats not to be allowed. The judge granted that motion as well, unless Patton claims self-defense. I'm I-Team Investigator Adam Walser with photojournalist Randy Wright, Tampa Bay 28.

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