Neighbors suspected something bad happened to the older woman who lives at 1132 Engman Street in Clearwater.
They hadn’t seen her in weeks. Then, they witnessed some odd behavior from two people who live with her.
“All of the sudden, one day they just start bringing all her furniture outside of the house, and then I ain’t never seen Miss Mary again after that,” said Jameka Evans.
Another neighbor said he would often take the ailing woman on errands to get groceries or medicine.
“I couldn’t see nobody doing that to her. Because, I think somebody she knew introduced them people to her to come here to live with her,” said John Scott.
Tragedy hit this house in recent memory, according to neighbors, with the older woman losing both of her daughters and one of her two cats.
“She used to ride by, give kids stuff and you know, toys and candy,” said Evans.
Scott didn’t like the two younger people who came to live with the older woman.
“I didn’t feel comfortable with them. That’s why I stopped ’em when I seen them, they were driving her car. I felt uncomfortable [because] she don’t let, she don’t let anybody drive her car,” said Scott.
Investigators spent the evening snapping pictures, dusting for fingerprints and removing evidence from the house.
Clearwater Police detectives have charged two suspects in connection with what they now are referring to as a homicide.
Lawrence Cannon, 42, is charged with first-degree murder of the woman, identified as Mary Ring, 69.
Jennifer Elam, 44, is charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.
Both are being transported to the Pinellas County Jail, where they will be booked.
Detectives said all three lived at the same address.
Canon told detectives he shot Ring in the early morning hours after the Super Bowl.
Cannon and Elam told detectives they spent the last two weeks trying to figure out how to dispose of the victim’s body, which had been in the house since she was killed.
