Florida Woman Confesses to Stabbing Roommate, Fleeing in His Truck

A Punta Gorda woman told detectives she stabbed her roommate following an argument, then covered his body with a tarp and drove off in his pickup truck before being tracked down in a neighboring county, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies were dispatched on the evening of March 8, 2026, to a residence on Gewant Blvd. in Punta Gorda after a report of a person not breathing. When they arrived, they found Paul De Wayne Bradley, 76, dead inside the home. The Charlotte County Major Crimes Unit took over the investigation.

Detectives quickly noticed that Bradley's pickup truck was missing from the driveway. Through investigative measures, they determined the vehicle had been driven into Sarasota County and shared that information with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. Sarasota deputies located the truck and detained the driver: Bradley's roommate, Shannon Rose Giblin, 48, born November 25, 1977.

When Charlotte County detectives questioned Giblin, she provided a confession to stabbing Bradley following an argument. According to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, after realizing Bradley was beyond help, Giblin covered him with a tarp and left the scene in his truck, driving roughly an hour north to Sarasota.

Giblin was placed under arrest and charged with murder (not premeditated) and grand theft of a motor vehicle. The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office stated she is being held without bond.

Sheriff Bill Prummell credited the overnight effort that led to her capture. "I want to recognize my Major Crimes detectives who worked this case through the night and identified the suspect quickly," Prummell said. "They truly show a dedication to their craft and the results are irrefutable."

Neighbors remembered Bradley, a veteran, as a fixture of his community. One neighbor, speaking to WINK News, recalled him mentoring her son: "He came over one day to talk to me about my son because he was mentoring him for a while, and he was in his underwear on his scooter. It reminded me of my dad, just that old veteran who wouldn't hurt anybody." In a separate statement to WINK News, Giblin's family described her as a friend, mother, and grandmother.

No autopsy results or court filings had been made public as of March 12, and the precise statutory charge language remains subject to confirmation from the Charlotte County State Attorney's Office.