Elderly Gibsonton Woman Shot In Head, Family Member Confesses: Sheriff

Editor's Note: The person killed was an elderly woman, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office. Patch had incorrectly reported the victim was a man.

GIBSONTON, FL — A Gibsonton man has been arrested after he confessed to Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies that he shot and killed an elderly family member, according to the sheriff's office.

On Oct. 24, at 10:15 p.m., the sheriff's office received a phone call from Robert Curtis Ashcraft, 49, who said he shot a relative and wanted to turn himself in. Ashcraft told the dispatcher that he was unarmed on the front porch waiting for deputies to arrive.

The dispatcher remained on the phone with Ashcroft until deputies arrived at the home on Wiggins Road in Gibsonton.

When they arrived, they found the elderly woman lying on a bed with a gunshot wound to the head.

Ashcraft was charged with premeditated first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon.

"We are grateful our dispatcher was able to keep the suspect calm, and on the phone until our deputies arrived to make an arrest," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "This is a horrible situation, and I'm saddened by this senseless tragedy."