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Murder changes everyone. When lives are suddenly and horrifically cut short, the loss also shatters those who love them. 

But they aren’t the only ones who suffer. 

First responders who are first on the scene see it, too. Firefighters, paramedics, and police all witness the worst people can do to each other. It’s rewarding to help people who suffer, but it can take a terrible toll. 

They may not know those who died, but witnessing the aftermath can leave long-lasting trauma. Finding others who can relate and help them process what they’ve seen can be hard.

Retired Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Deputy Patric Gibson was the first person who arrived at Sharon Aydelott’s house on Christmas Eve, 2013, after her ex-husband called 911 to report seeing her bloody body in the doorway of her Gulf Breeze home. 

The 48-year-old middle school science teacher and mother of two, was lying in a pool of blood, her face stabbed and beaten beyond recognition. Sharon’s family later confirmed her identity with her hands. 

Patric was the first person to witness what her then 17-year-old son Brandon Aydelott later confessed to doing. But there’s no time to process horror when you have a job to do.

As Brandon’s latest case status check hearing approaches on Feb. 20 at 9:00 a.m., his first since he was transferred from Florida State Hospital to a step-down facility in Tallahassee, here’s a first-person account from a first responder who shares his experiences and thoughts on crime, trauma, and justice. 

We are grateful to Patric for accepting our invitation to talk about his experiences and we invite you to listen to what he shared in our latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “First on the scene: First responders suffer in silence.”

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