Man kills grandmother in her sleep, goes on 'beach weekend,' Florida cops say

Deputies say man stabbed 82-year-old in chest

BUSHNELL, Fla. – A 21-year-old Sumter County man has been charged with first-degree murder after deputies say he stabbed his grandmother in her sleep and then went on a beach weekend with his mother.

James Giles, 21, has been charged with first-degree murder for stabbing his grandmother, Rosa Maresma, 82, in her sleep the night of June 18, according to Sumter County Sheriff's Office. When deputies found her she had been dead for three days.

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Deputies said Giles texted his mother on June 19, saying something had happened at Maresma's home in Bushnell at which he was living, but did not go into detail about what happened and said she would find out when she got home from her business trip.

According to the arrest report, Giles killed his grandmother and then met up with his mother for a "beach weekend" when she came back to Florida on June 21.

On their way home from the beach on June 21, Giles told his mother that Maresma had passed away, according to deputies. Giles' mother contacted Sumter County deputies while still on her way back to her home.

When interviewed by police, Giles admitted to killing his grandmother in her sleep by placing a pillow over her face and stabbing her in the chest with a kitchen knife.

The motive for the murder is unknown. Giles is currently being held without bond.


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