Buster

Cops: Woman, 76, Targeted Ex-Beau And His New Girlfriend In Auto Vandalism Spree

A 76-year-old Florida Woman was arrested yesterday for allegedly targeting her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend in an auto vandalism spree that employed oil, pink lipstick, and a dead raccoon.

According to police, Patsy Murrell vandalized the cars in late-September, three months after her relationship with Stephen Hughes, 74, ended. Hughes’s new girlfriend, an arrest affidavit notes, is Michelle Busman-Baio, 64.

Investigators charge that Murrell damaged the vehicles while they were parked at night outside Hughes’s home in Largo, a city in the Tampa Bay area.

Hughes’s 2011 Chrysler had oil poured into its air vents and the words “Loves Kinkey Sex” and “Wominzer” written on the windows in pink lipstick. The auto also sustained damage to its rear bumper, allegedly when Murrell rammed the car with her vehicle. The estimate to repair Hughes’s ride was about $1600, cops noted.

“Multiple parts” of Busman-Baio’s 2020 BMW were damaged by Murrell, according to the arrest affidavit. Oil was poured on the car, a dead raccoon was left on the hood, and the word “Slut” was written on the vehicle in pink lipstick. The BMW was judged a “total loss,” cops reported, adding that the insurance settlement amount exceeded $33,000.

A police probe determined that Murrell’s “phone GPS” placed her in the vicinity of Hughes’s residence on the night of the vandalism. Days after the incident, Murrell brought her car to a body shop in Sarasota for repairs to the front and rear bumpers (which, cops charge, included “paint transfer that was the same color as both victim’s vehicles”).

Seen above, Murrell was arrested Wednesday morning on a pair of felony criminal mischief counts. Murrell, who lives in South Pasadena, a city near St. Pete Beach, was released last night from the county jail on her own recognizance.