By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A caregiver was sentenced to life in prison this morning for second-degree murder in the beating death of a 49-year-old disabled man after an insurance policy in his name that named her as sole beneficiary was taken out nearly three years ago.
.Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano also handed down an additional 15 years in prison to 57-year-old Diane Reid for neglect of a disabled adult, a second-degree felony, to be served concurrently with the life sentence
Here is a synopsis of what occurred on On July 15, 2017: Reid beat the victim to death. She then called law enforcement to report that the victim was not breathing.
When lparamedics and cops arrived at the scene, they found the victim dead with visible severe bruises to his body. After further investigation, it was determined that Reid took out a life insurance policy on the disabled victim with herself as the beneficiary.
The victim was 49-year-old Pernell Robinson, described by the prosecution as mentally ill and unable to care for himself.
Reid was hired ti care for Robinson when his brother went to prison and there was nobody else to look after him. Robinson went to stay with Reid at her residence, 224 Taylor Road in Daytona Beach. he had only been under Reid's roof for six weeks when she beat him to death.
Days earlier, Reid had taken out Reid ta Metlife life insurance policy on Robinson before she called 9-1-1 on July 15, 2017, to report that he was not breathing, prosecuting attorney Tammy Jaques told jurors leading to the jury's guilty verdicts. Reid never got the chance to cash in.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza reacted with disgust to the greed that led to a senseless beating death.
“The defendant bound and beat our disabled and defenseless Victim to death over a life insurance policy," Larizza said. "It is especially troubling that the defendant was the caretaker of our victim, and used her position of trust to feed her greedy agenda.”