A Florida woman hired to help a 76-year-old veteran with household chores allegedly stabbed him to death after an argument, covered his body with a tarp, and then stole his pickup truck, according to authorities.
Shannon R. Giblin, 47, is facing charges of second-degree murder and grand theft of a motor vehicle in the death of Paul De Wayne Bradley in Punta Gorda. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home on Gewant Boulevard on Sunday evening following a report of an unresponsive person.
Upon arrival, deputies discovered Bradley deceased inside the residence with stab wounds. They quickly noticed his vehicle was missing and, through investigative efforts, tracked it to nearby Sarasota County.
Giblin, described by police as Bradley’s roommate, was found with the car and taken into custody. During an interview with deputies, she allegedly confessed to the stabbing, stating it occurred following a dispute.
“After realizing that the victim was beyond help, Giblin then covered Bradley with a tarp and left the scene in the victim’s pickup truck,” the sheriff’s office detailed in a statement.
While authorities have not elaborated on a specific motive, neighbours provided context to WINK, revealing that Bradley had recently hired Giblin to assist him around the house after his wife passed away a few years prior. The arrangement, however, appeared to be souring.
“From my understanding, things weren’t going really well… but he was gonna, I guess, evict her that day, and then that happened, so I’m assuming something didn’t go right,” said neighbour Jody Scharping.
Scharping remembered Bradley as a kind and well-liked man, expressing disbelief at the circumstances of his death. “He was a veteran. He went through wars and came back, he survived a heart attack not long ago, and then this is what takes his life. Nobody deserves that,” she said.
In a statement released to WINK, Giblin’s family apologised for her alleged actions. The statement suggested she may have been experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the stabbing and also expressed sorrow over the difficulties veterans face in accessing help.
Giblin is currently being held in the Sarasota County Jail and is expected to be transferred to Charlotte County to face the charges against her.
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