A 23-year-old man was arrested Sunday after confessing to stabbing his 69-year-old grandmother to death while she was taking a bath in the Lake Wales mobile home they shared, authorities said.
Christopher Chase Whaley was charged with first-degree murder after calling 911 about 8:15 p.m. Saturday and inviting deputies to "come get me."
Polk County sheriff's deputies went to the residence at 5137 N. Scenic Highway and found the victim, Barbara Denmark, lying dead in her bedroom and Whaley kneeling over her and cradling his head.
"I can't believe I did that (bleep)," Whaley allegedly told deputies after being read his rights.
According to an arrest affidavit, Whaley told detectives he got into an argument with Denmark and his aunt, Cassandra Pippin, while in Daytona Beach on Saturday and decided he would kill both when returning home.
Whaley said he couldn't even remember what the argument was about because he was intoxicated at the time. Nevertheless, when he returned home, he sat in his bedroom and thought about committing murder.
He told detectives he attempted to call a friend who might be able to talk him down, but the friend didn't answer her phone.
Whaley said he then went into the kitchen and grabbed two knives from a drawer and went to Denmark's bedroom, where he found her taking a bath. He said he had a knife in each hand and repeatedly stabbed Denmark, with whom he had been living for about five years.
According to the affidavit, Whaley said he stabbed Denmark so many times he lost count. He said he left her in the tub, but when he returned to tell her she had pushed him too far, he found her lying on her bedroom stairs, no longer breathing.
Whaley then called 911 and told authorities to come and arrest him. "You have two minutes to find me," he told the dispatcher.
According to the affidavit, Whaley said his original intention was to kill his grandmother and then walk to his aunt's residence and kill everyone inside. He said he had a change of heart after hearing his grandmother's final words to him.
"I love you," she said.