ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando Police are now investigating a homicide case, after a woman who was brutally beaten during a home invasion last week passed away.
Lucy Pat Curl, the wife of a longtime pastor at First Baptist Orlando Church, died early Wednesday morning, according to a statement shared by the Curl family.
She was hospitalized in critical condition on Friday and placed in a medically-induced coma as investigators closed in on the suspect, 55-year-old Ronald Davis, who was arrested early the following day, according to the Orlando Police Department.
To read the statement, see below:
“On Tuesday, Lucy Pat was taken off life support. She went on to Heaven early this morning. We rejoice that she is no longer in pain. The circumstances of her passing are shocking and abrupt, and not what we would have expected or chosen. But as our Lord has forgiven us, we are asked to forgive each other. At one point, Bill (her husband) took her picture before the results of the attack had been cleaned up. When asked what he would do with a picture like that, his response was, ‘I’m going to show it to the man who did this to her. Then I’m going to forgive him. I refuse to let his actions dictate who I am.’ So we would ask for you to do the same. Please respect the family’s privacy as we begin to figure out what life after Lucy Pat looks like. We request and appreciate your prayers.Her celebration service will be on Sunday, February 16, at 4:00pm at First Baptist Church of Orlando.”
Curl family
A spokesperson with First Baptist told News 6 that the news from the family was shared with the congregation along with a message that the church community is “heartbroken” and their “love and continued prayers are with the extended Curl family.”
Orlando Police confirmed with News 6 on Wednesday that Davis is now facing an additional charge of first-degree murder in the commission of a home invasion.
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Investigators say Davis posed as a community service officer when he went to Curl’s home Friday. According to an affidavit for Davis, when 85-year-old Curl asked for proof the suspect forced his way inside and started attacking her.
Davis, who prosecutors say lived less than a mile from the Curl’s home, was arrested after he left his ID at the scene. Detectives tracked Davis down and found jewelry and coins that were taken from the Curl’s house.
Prosecutors have filed a motion asking for Davis to remain in jail as the case proceeds. In court filings obtained by News 6 they state that Davis had just been released from prison in June, less than eight months ago.
Assistant State Attorney William Robert Jay writes that Davis “has been serving a life sentence in the Department of Corrections on an installment plan since 1986″ for crimes including burglary, grand theft, robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon.
“The Defendant has only spent 101 months of his life outside the Department of Corrections in the last 38 years,” prosecutors state.
Neighbors who live in the Curl’s community told our News 6 crew Wednesday that they “are trying to pull together.”
“They used to ride a bike every evening, a bicycle built for two. I’m going to miss that,” Ann Hoskinson said.
Hoskinson said she worries about Pastor Curl and how he will cope with such a great loss. She described the couple as “beacons of this neighborhood.”
“The reason we are still here is because of them,” Hoskinson said. “She was a tough lady, beautiful lady, always friendly.”
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