Church prays for miracle after wife of First Baptist Orlando pastor attacked, left in coma

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Tuesday, February 04, 2025

Congregants on the 14,000-member First Baptist Church Orlando are praying for a miracle for Lucy Pat Curl, the 85-year-old spouse of their longtime pastoral care minister Invoice Curl, after she was brutally attacked inside her dwelling whereas her husband was at work. She is now in essential situation on the Orlando Regional Medical Middle with a big mind damage that docs say they can not heal.

“Rachel and I stood there together with her yesterday, and with Invoice, and the sight of her physique. What he [the attacker] did to her, and also you simply search for and go, ‘God, she’s one in all your best,’” the church’s Senior Pastor David Uth instructed parishioners on Sunday.

“She’s among the finest. Each Invoice and Lucy Pat. That household has come collectively they usually’re navigating this, and she or he’s being fully supported by life help proper now with a ventilator. And [that’s] all that they do to maintain her [alive]. So they have to make the choice: What are we going to do?”

A press assertion from the Orlando Police Division mentioned officers responded to a report a couple of dwelling invasion in Catalin at roughly 1:46 p.m. final Friday.

“The sufferer’s husband arrived dwelling to seek out his spouse severely battered inside their automobile within the storage, urgent the horn for assist. He instantly referred to as 911,” the report mentioned.

Pastor Curl instructed police {that a} black male, later recognized as suspect Ronald D. Davis, 55, forcibly entered the couple’s dwelling and attacked Lucy Pat Curl then fled the scene. Davis was later discovered sleeping inside a shed on a residential property a couple of miles from the pastor’s home.

Police mentioned he was solely launched from jail in June 2024 after serving a 15-year concurrent sentence for housebreaking of a dwelling with assault and battery, in addition to theft. He has been charged with dwelling invasion theft with a weapon, aggravated battery on an individual over 65, with nice bodily hurt, and aggravated battery with a weapon.

Uth referred to as the assault on Lucy Pat Curl “heartbreaking” as she and her husband have been on employees with the church for 52 years and even served as missionaries with the Southern Baptist Conference’s Worldwide Mission Board in Europe for 18 of these years.

For the final 16 years, Curl and his spouse have been serving collectively on the church.

“He is the one which’ll be there for you in a heartbeat. And his spouse, Lucy Pat, is true there with him. She performs the piano extremely properly. She performs at so many funerals for us and weddings and regardless of the want could also be,” Uth mentioned. “You may see them generally round right here using a bicycle constructed for 2, and it is a phenomenal sight whenever you do.”

Uth mentioned final Friday that Pastor Curl was counseling at their Middle for Being pregnant when his spouse was attacked at their dwelling.

He mentioned Lucy Pat instructed police that she heard a knock at her door, and when she went to the door, she noticed the suspect, who mentioned he was a group service officer. When she requested for his identification to confirm his declare, Davis allegedly pretended he was searching for an ID in his pockets earlier than forcing his method into the house and attacking her.

“He knocked her down, got here into the home [and] hit her a number of occasions. She’s 85 years outdated however in nice well being. She survived most cancers 3 times,” Uth mentioned.

In the course of the assault, Uth mentioned Lucy Pat hit the suitable aspect of her head on a espresso desk, which induced important harm.

“He [the suspect] begins ransacking the home, and she or he’s screaming out, and she or he received exterior to the van and honked the horn, tried to get any individual’s consideration, a neighbor, however no one got here,” Uth defined.

When nobody got here to her support, Lucy Pat Curl went again inside her dwelling and sat down with out assist for about an hour earlier than her husband arrived and referred to as 911. She was rushed to the hospital for remedy, however docs decided the harm was too nice.

“They did some research and noticed there was a mind bleed, however they had been hopeful that perhaps it may very well be operated on to alleviate the stress and to take care of it. However then after they ran the second scan, it was past assist, and the neurosurgeon mentioned there’s actually nothing we are able to do. And so, every thing that they’ve heard is that she’s not going to make it,” Uth instructed his congregants.

Regardless of what the docs have mentioned, Uth revealed that Pastor Curl is believing God for a miracle for his spouse.

“Now, after I say that, Invoice instructed me he requested one of many docs, ‘Are you aware my God? He can do something,’” the First Baptist Orlando pastor mentioned.

“That is proper. He is a miracle employee and we will pray for [a] miracle. Do you consider in miracles?” Uth requested his congregants.

“He [Bill] mentioned the physician simply sort of nodded and adjusted the topic. However we’re praying at the moment that God will give her a miracle.”