A Brevard County woman has been arrested for the grisly murder of an elderly Barefoot Bay woman who had taken in her and her son, giving them a place to stay.
Investigators said Jennifer Trent's goal was to steal from the woman, but the situation quickly turned to murder.
Trent, 36, was arrested Wednesday morning right after dropping off her son at school.
Investigators said Doris Johnson befriended Trent last year and allowed them to live with her at her Gladiolus Drive home.
Deputies said Trent then took advantage of the living situation when Johnson, 70, went up north to temporarily stay with relatives, forging letters giving herself permission to use Johnson's credit cards.
According to investigators, Trent racked up $15,000 in charges, including buying herself an engagement ring and an Xbox for her son, all while living at Johnson's home rent-free.
In January, Johnson's family members became concerned when they hadn't heard from her. A Brevard County deputy found Johnson dead in the backyard shed on Jan. 22.
Investigators said Johnson had been in the shed for several days, concluding that Trent had hit her over the head and left her there to die. After Johnson survived for several days, deputies said Trent suffocated her and left her body on the floor of the shed.
"To take a person, leave her out there to die, and when she doesn't die go ahead and finish the job, herself," said Maj. Tod Goodyear, with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.
Trent was locked up in the Brevard County Jail without bond.
The sheriff's office says the Florida Department of Children and Families would work to find Trent's son a temporary home after he gets out of school Wednesday.