Florida thug accused of locking woman in container after sexually abusing her charged with murdering victim's mother-in-law

A Florida male who's accused of locking a woman in a container after beating and sexually abusing her has been charged with murdering the victim's mother-in-law, WMBB-TV reported.

David Earl Gipson, 40, faced a judge Thursday morning in connection with six felony charges, the station said:

• Murder (no bond)
• Aggravated battery on person 65 years of age or older (no bond)
• Sexual assault with weapon or force (no bond)
• Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon ($250,000 bond)
• Abuse of a dead human body ($250,000 bond)
• Kidnapping/false imprisonment of an adult ($250,000 bond)

'He got down in a mud hole and tried to cover himself in mud. He was just trying to throw the scent off. But it didn’t work, and we got him.'

Investigators with the Washington County Sheriff's Office told WMBB that Gipson planned a savage physical attack that took place Monday in Vernon, which is about a half hour north of Panama City Beach in the Florida panhandle.

Investigators told the station that Gipson entered the home of 74-year-old Lettie Cooper Collins and her daughter-in-law demanding repayment for a debt he claimed their family members owed him.

"[Gipson] stated, 'Your husband and brother-in-law are thieves and owe me money, and I’m here to take it,'" Sheriff Kevin Crews recounted, according to WMBB. "He beat Ms. Collins to a pulp."

Around 5:20 p.m. a passerby discovered the injured daughter-in-law walking along Douglas Ferry Road, the station said. She had escaped after allegedly being abused and placed in a container in Gipson’s yard, with her legs bound and plywood weighing down the box, WMBB said.

Indeed, the sheriff's office early Tuesday asked for the public's help in finding Gipson, noting that he bound and gagged the victim, sexually battered her, threatened her with a handgun, and beat her with a blunt object.

Gibson then took the victim to his residence, continued to abuse her in his home, and then put her in a container in his yard, officials said.

The victim was able to escape and then made her way to Douglas Ferry Road where the passing motorist spotted her, officials said.

The victim was taken to the hospital and was in stable condition, officials said.

More from WMBB:

A multi-agency search ensued involving the Holmes, Bay, and Jackson County Sheriff’s Offices, U.S. Marshals Service, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The manhunt ended Tuesday afternoon when Gipson was found hiding in a muddy ditch in an attempt to evade scent-tracking dogs.

“He got down in a mud hole and tried to cover himself in mud,” Crews told the station. “He was just trying to throw the scent off. But it didn’t work, and we got him.”

Gipson was described as a habitual offender with 33 previous felony charges, WJHG-TV reported, adding that his most recent release was in March.

You can view a video report here about where things stand in the case.

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