Boyfriend’s Son Won’t Talk in Sandra Prince Homicide

A man that police would like to talk to regarding the Sandra Prince homicide is not cooperating with the investigation, according to the Temple Terrace Police Department.

Police said they have been unable to interview Patrick Pippin. Patrick is the son of Earl Pippin III, Prince’s boyfriend at the time of her Jan. 3, 2006, disappearance.

“We are not naming him a suspect or a person of interest at this time, but we are interested in the relationship between Patrick and Sandra,” the police department said. “Anyone with knowledge of the relationship between Sandra and Patrick is encouraged to contact the Temple Terrace Police Department.”

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The department’s interest in the relationship between Patrick Pippin and Prince came to light after the Tampa Bay Times reported Thursday that police had interviewed Prince’s gardener, David Jarrett, this week. The story referenced a search warrant affidavit filed in Hillsborough Circuit Court that stated Jarrett told police that about six months before Prince’s disappearance, she had a falling out with Patrick Pippin, who wanted to stay in one of her Lake Panasoffkee homes without paying rent.

The Tampa Bay Times story states that police needed the affidavit to open a letter that Prince had sent to Pippin before she was likely murdered. The U.S. Post Office could not deliver the letter and returned to Prince. Police found it in her house in January 2006, but they did not file for the affidavit until now. They have not shared the letter’s contents.

“It’s not known at this time whether the two (Patrick Pippin and Prince) had a falling out,” police said.

On Jan. 10, the Temple Terrace Police Department announced it had reclassified Prince’s case from a missing person investigation to a murder investigation and a $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for her murder.

The reward is the largest the Temple Terrace Police Department has ever offered for a criminal investigation.

Police Chief Ken Albano said Jan. 10 that investigators think Prince was murdered sometime between Dec. 28, 2005, and Jan. 3, 2006.

After she was reported missing, police found the back door of her house unlocked, according to a City of Temple Terrace press release. They also discovered a “significant” amount of Prince’s blood in her car.

During the early stages of the investigation, police named Earl Pippin as a person of interest in the case. Earl Pippin now lives in the Lake Panasoffkee area of Sumter County and remains a person of interest in the case, according to the release.

Like his son, Earl Pippin is no longer cooperating in the investigation, said Temple Terrace Police Det. Michael Lowell earlier this month. He hasn’t spoken to police in several years.

If you have any information about the murder of Sandra Prince, or any information that could be useful to investigators, the Temple Terrace Police Department asks you to call 813-989-7110.

See also:

Police Reclassify Sandra Prince Case to Murder Investigation