A 47-year-old woman in Florida faces charges of second-degree murder and grand theft after allegedly stabbing a 76-year-old veteran to death following an argument. Authorities say she covered the body with a tarp and fled in his vehicle. The incident occurred in Punta Gorda, where the victim had recently hired her to assist around the house.
On Sunday evening, deputies from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office responded to a residence on Gewant Boulevard in Punta Gorda, Florida, after a report of a person not breathing. They discovered 76-year-old Paul De Wayne Bradley deceased from stab wounds. Bradley's vehicle, a pickup truck, was missing from the scene.
Through investigation, authorities located the truck in nearby Sarasota County and arrested 47-year-old Shannon R. Giblin, identified as Bradley's roommate. During questioning, Giblin admitted to stabbing Bradley during an argument. According to the sheriff's office, she covered his body with a tarp and drove away in his truck after realizing he could not be helped.
Neighbors reported that Bradley, a veteran who had survived wars and a recent heart attack, hired Giblin to help with household tasks following the death of his wife a few years earlier. One neighbor, Jody Scharping, told local outlet WINK that relations between them had deteriorated. "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," Scharping said. She described Bradley as a kind and well-liked man in the community, adding, "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."
Giblin's family issued a statement to WINK expressing apologies for her actions and suggesting she was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time. They also noted the challenges veterans face in accessing support. No specific motive was detailed by police.
Giblin is held in Sarasota County Jail and awaits transfer to Charlotte County to face charges of second-degree murder and grand theft of a motor vehicle.