The former convict arrested in the killing of an Orlando pastor’s elderly wife has been sentenced to life in prison, according to prosecutors.

Ronald Dwayne Davis, 55, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the Jan. 31 attack on 85-year-old Lucy Pat Curl, wife of First Baptist Church of Orlando Pastor Bill Curl.

He initially pleaded not guilty but then changed his plea Tuesday and was subsequently sentenced to life, according to a spokesperson for the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office.

WESH 2 News reported Bill Curl was present in the courtroom and gave an emotional statement where he forgave Davis for his actions.

“For him, we have nothing but forgiveness,” Curl said in court, “for love, for hope that the rest of his life has better quality, that one day he will come to know Jesus.”

Police say Davis attacked Lucy Pat Curl at the family’s home in Catalina, about a mile from First Baptist’s main campus. Her husband found her injured and bleeding from her head when he arrived home from church.

Lucy Pat Curl, wife of a longtime pastor Bill Curl at First Baptist Church of Orlando, died after a man beat her while impersonating a police officer in an attempt to break into the couple’s home. (Courtesy of Spectrum News 13)

According to an affidavit, Lucy Pat Curl told investigators Davis banged on her front door as she was getting ready for a hair appointment around 10:30 a.m. Davis claimed to be a community services officer and forced himself through the door after she asked for his identification. Then he beat her unconscious, possibly wielding a crystal candy jar found in a pool of blood.

She later woke up, and her husband found her sitting on the couch. She was bleeding and had not been able to call for for help, the affidavit noted. She was placed into a medically-induced coma at the hospital while her family prayed for a miracle, but she died Feb. 5 after being taken off life support.

Davis — who left his wallet with ID at the scene — was later arrested at a shed where he lived on a property next to Clear Lake, where police found jewelry and coins taken from the Curls’ home.

Davis had been in and out of prison over the last four decades with a history of violent robberies, burglaries and other crimes, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. His most recent release was June 11 after serving a 15-year sentence in exchange for pleading no contest to the 2009 violent burglary of a woman’s home.

First Baptist Head Pastor David Uth spoke to his congregation on the Sunday following the attack and described Lucy Pat Curl as a three-time cancer survivor who was a talented pianist who would perform at funerals, weddings and other events hosted by the church. She and her husband served the church together for 52 years.

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