In 2016, Carol Demmons was working a shift at the Golden Corral in Jacksonville, Florida, when her ex-boyfriend, Darryl Whipple, walked into the buffet-style restaurant. He poured gasoline all over her. Demmons attempted to run from Whipple. But to no avail. He managed to set her on fire.
Demmons sustained burns on 70 to 85% of her body. She was hospitalized, and stayed there for a month. Ultimately, she died from her injuries. Now, nearly a decade later, a judge has sentenced Whipple to life in prison.
Whipple had previously been deemed unfit to stand trial.
Whipple was charged with first-degree murder, according to the Miami Herald. He pleaded guilty to the attack. The legal process took so long because authorities deemed the 67-year-old unfit to stand trial for six years, Duval County records state. Whipple, who has a history of domestic violence charges, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and alcohol and cocaine abuse, Jacksonville.com reported.
It took four years of treatment before he was ruled competent to stand trial. In an email, Whipple’s public defender Al Chipperfield said he’s satisfied with this resolution. “In view of Mr. Whipple’s serious mental illness, I think it was a fair and reasonable way to resolve the case,” he said along with Whipple’s guilty plea.
Whipple waited for police after the attack.
On October 12, 2016, Demmons was working behind the dessert counter when Whipple poured gasoline over her head. As he lit her on fire, he activated the restaurant’s fire suppression system. Whipple walked out of the restaurant and sat on the curb, waiting for police to arrive. Demmons died on November 8, 2016.
This was not the first time Whipple had been violent.
Two months before the attack, Demmons completed a domestic violence assessment. The questionnaire asked if she believed her partner would intentionally kill her. Demmons answered yes. She took the assessment after an incident where she claimed Whipple pushed her out of their bed and then attacked her with a knife. As she tried to get away from him, he bit her.
Police failed to arrest him after they obtained a warrant.
In the arrest warrant, police noted that the family had to pull Whipple off of her. While police issued an arrest warrant, they never apprehended Whipple. He only interacted with law enforcement as he sat on the curb after setting Demmons on fire. Whipple will serve his sentence in the Florida State Prison without the possibility of parole, the Office of the State Attorney said in a press release.
