Pastor's wife, 85, dies after brutal beating when burglar broke into her Florida home, cops say

Suspect Ronald Davis (left) is accused of pretending to be a community service officer to carry out a violent attack on Lucy Pat Curl (right) in her Florida home - (Orlando Police Department/First Baptist Church of Orlando)

An 85-year-old wife of a pastor was beaten to death after a burglar broke into her Florida home and pretended to be a community service officer, police said.

Lucy Pat Curl, the wife of Orlando pastor Bill Curl, was violently attacked by the suspect Ronald Davis, a convicted felon, on January 31, Orlando police said. She died in hospital on February 4.

Davis, 55, pretended to be a community service officer when he targeted Curl and forced his way inside the house when she asked for proof of identification, according to senior pastor David Uth of the First Baptist Church of Orlando, News6 reports.

“He began to hit her. She fell, and the fall did incredible damage along with the wounds that he gave her directly with his fists,” Uth told the congregation on Sunday. “And so he began to ransack the house while she was lying there in a pool of blood.”

Suspect Ronald Davis is accused of pretending to be a community service officer to carry out a violent attack on Lucy Pat Curl in her Florida home (Orlando Police Department)

After the attack, Lucy Pat Curl managed to crawl inside the couple’s vehicle and press the horn for help. Several hours later, the pastor returned home and found his wife severely beaten inside the vehicle and called 911.

Davis was found asleep inside a shed on a property a few miles away after he left his wallet at the scene of the crime, according to an arrest affidavit seen by Spectrum News. Police found the suspect with jewelry, some rare coins that the pastor had reported as missing and a sweater with blood on it, the affidavit said.

The suspect was initially charged with home invasion robbery with a weapon, aggravated battery on a person over 65 or older with great bodily harm and aggravated battery with a weapon.

Curl was left in a pool of blood after the attack and her pastor husband didn’t find her for hours (First Baptist Church of Orlando)

Police have not yet confirmed whether Davis now faces a murder charge.

The suspect was released from prison in June 2024 after serving a 15-year sentence for burglary with assault and battery, in addition to robbery.

Curl survived cancer three times, according to Uth. Her family said in a statement that her death “was shocking and abrupt.” They added that her husband wanted to show the suspect a picture of his wife following the brutal attack.

“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,” the pastor said.

A service to celebrate Curl’s life is scheduled for February 16 at the Baptist Church of Orlando.