Vero Beach Man Admits Killing Grandmother, Held on Theft and Fraud Charges

VERO BEACH — Authorities are investigating the suspicious death of a 76-year-old woman whose body was discovered in her apartment after a welfare check. Her grandson has been taken into custody on unrelated charges.

Deputies from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office (IRCSO) responded around 8:15 p.m. Monday to the apartment in the 5000 block of Fairway Circle, part of the Fairways at Grand Harbor condominiums, following concerns that the woman, identified as Patricia Dibella, hadn’t been heard from since Sunday.

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Upon arrival, they encountered Nicholas Ivey, Dibella’s 29-year-old grandson, in the parking lot. Ivey made statements suggesting his grandmother was dead inside the residence, prompting deputies to enter and find her body on a bed in the master bedroom.

Ivey was taken into custody without incident and later arrested on charges including:

• Grand Theft Auto ($100k bond)
• Criminal use of personal identification information ($100k bond)
• Unlawful possession of a stolen credit card ($100K bond)
• Fraudulent use of a credit card ($100K bond)

He is being held on a total of $400,000 bond at the Indian River County Jail; his arraignment is set for March 10. No charges have been filed in connection with Dibella’s death as yet.

In interviews with IRCSO detectives, Ivey admitted to killing his grandmother, saying she had come at him with a kitchen steak knife and poked him in the back, according to the arrest affidavit.

The 6’1 and 350 lbs man described snapping her neck, then punching and stomping on her head while she was on the ground in the kitchen, according to the arrest affidavit. Ivey said he moved the body to the bed, cleaned blood from the floor with towels, washed his bloody sweatshirt, and placed the knife in a drawer.

The next day, Ivey told investigators that he took Dibella’s wallet, credit cards, and Nissan sedan to buy cigarettes and beer at a store before returning home and calling his father to confess what he’d done. He said he didn’t call 911 right away because he wanted to discuss the situation with his father first.

The IRCSO and the medical examiner’s office processed the apartment and secured the Nissan sedan for forensic examination. Dibella’s next of kin has been notified.

This investigation is ongoing.