CHIPLEY, FL – A man was apprehended by Florida authorities this week, accused of brutally beating a 74-year-old woman to death and subsequently terrorizing another woman before stuffing her into a toolbox.
The incident unfolded Sunday night around 10 p.m. when David Earl Gipson, 40, allegedly knocked on a residence’s door, according to Washington County Sheriff Kevin Crews. The surviving victim answered, only to allegedly hear claims that her husband and brother-in-law were thieves who owed Gipson money.
After gaining entry into the home, Gipson allegedly began ransacking the premises. Crews reported that Gipson then turned violent, viciously attacking the woman and eventually handcuffing her after removing her clothing. His alleged rampage didn’t spare the woman’s 74-year-old mother-in-law, Lettie Cooper Collins, who was reportedly beaten severely.
The chaos escalated as the suspect purportedly abducted the younger woman, securing her with duct tape over her mouth, and forced her into Collins’ PT Cruiser before driving away. Authorities say he transported her to his residence, where he sexually assaulted and threatened to kill her. In the grim continuation of events, Gipson allegedly confined her to a large toolbox in a shed, trapping her under debris.
Sheriff Crews described the harrowing situation the victim endured. “She was handcuffed, her mouth bound with duct tape, a rope over her neck, forced into a near-hogtied position,” he detailed.
The victim spent a grueling day inside the toolbox before she remarkably managed to free herself. Sheriff Crews recounted her escape, noting that she used a tree to dislodge the tape from her mouth and then sought help from a passerby on a nearby road.
Responding deputies were alerted to the scene on Monday evening, quickly taking the woman to safety and uncovering the gruesome fate of Lettie Cooper Collins when they reached her home. Her body had been battered beyond recognition.
The sheriff indicated that the medical examiner would determine Collins’ official cause of death, while Gipson has been taken into custody, facing multiple charges, including kidnapping and sexual assault. No word yet if murder charges have been officially filed against him for Collins’ death. Gipson remains detained at the Washington County Jail without bond and is scheduled for a court appearance on June 2.