A 29-year-old Florida man has been arrested after allegedly admitting to killing his 76-year-old grandmother. Authorities say he confessed to snapping her neck and stomping on her head after she reportedly poked him with a kitchen knife.
Nicholas Leonard Ivey was taken into custody this week and charged with grand theft auto, unlawful use of a credit card, fraudulent use of a credit card, and criminal use of an ID, according to court records.
The car, credit card, and ID involved belonged to Ivey’s grandmother, Patricia Dibella, who was found dead in her home last weekend. While no homicide charges had been filed as of Friday afternoon, Ivey allegedly admitted multiple times to killing her.
Indian River County deputies responded around 8:15 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 2, to a welfare check at Dibella’s apartment in the 5000 block of Fairways Circle, about 150 miles north of Miami. The call was placed by Ivey’s father, who said his son had called him and told him that Dibella was dead.
Officers found Ivey outside the apartment. He reportedly told deputies that his grandmother was dead inside. A deputy entering the apartment discovered Dibella lying on her bed, and determined she had died. Ivey was arrested and transported to the sheriff’s office.
During transport, Ivey allegedly told authorities that Dibella had come at him with a knife, then spontaneously admitted to killing her. In a post-Miranda interview, he reportedly said she had poked him with a kitchen steak knife before he killed her, snapping her neck and striking her head while she was on the ground.
Ivey allegedly moved the body to the bedroom and used towels to clean blood from the kitchen floor. He admitted washing the sweatshirt he wore during the attack and the towels he used.
Authorities say Ivey then drove Dibella’s car to a nearby store and used her credit card to buy beer and cigarettes without her permission.
The investigation into Dibella’s death is ongoing. Ivey is being held in Indian River County Jail on $400,000 bond and is scheduled to appear for arraignment on March 10.