Man hears horn in garage, finds wife ‘brutally’ beaten in their car, Florida cops say

UPDATE: The family of 85-year-old Lucy Curl reports she was taken off life support and has died as a result of injuries suffered during the Jan. 31 home invasion.

The original story is below.

The sound of a horn coming from a Florida couple’s garage led a man to find his wife “brutally” beaten in their car, according to investigators.

The woman was hospitalized in critical condition, the Orlando Police Department said in a Feb. 1 news release.

It happened around 1:45 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, during a home invasion in the 2300 block of Caribbean Court in the Isle of Catalina community, police said.

“The victim’s husband arrived home to find his wife severely battered inside their vehicle in the garage, pressing the horn for help,” police said.

“He reported that an unknown ... male had forcibly entered their home and brutally attacked his elderly wife.”

The husband called 911, leading police to find their suspect — 55-year-old Ronald D. Davis — sleeping in a shed “a few miles from the victim’s residence,” police said.

Davis was arrested and charged with home invasion robbery with a weapon, aggravated battery on a person over 65 with great bodily harm, and aggravated battery with a weapon, police said.

The woman was identified as 85-year-old Lucy Curl, the wife of Pastor William “Bill” Curl of First Baptist Church of Orlando, according to WOFL.

The suspect “forced his way” into the couple’s home by masquerading as a community service officer, the station reported.

“Davis had recently been released from prison in June 2024 after serving a 15-year concurrent sentence for burglary of a dwelling with assault and battery, as well as robbery,” the sheriff’s office said.

He is being held without bond, jail records show.

This story was originally published February 3, 2025 at 5:29 AM with the headline "Man hears horn in garage, finds wife ‘brutally’ beaten in their car, Florida cops say."