Former Florida caregiver sentenced to 60 years in murder of Ponce Inlet woman
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Micayla Yusko, a former caregiver, was sentenced to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty last week to charges of second-degree murder and burglary with a battery in connection with the 2022 death of an elderly woman in Ponce Inlet.
The incident occurred in the early hours of January 5, when Yusko, then 22 years old, and an accomplice entered Margaret ‘Darlene’ Hindsley's condominium and fatally shot her. Hindsley succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
Micayla Yusko
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Yusko confessed to Ponce Inlet police detectives that she and her accomplice had consumed "molly" prior to the murder. Despite being the Hindsley's caregiver, Yusko directed her accomplice to shoot the woman twice in the head. Surveillance footage captured their entry into Hindsley's property around the time of the crime. Additionally, investigators recovered a narcotic substance known as "bath salt" and the firearm used in the murder.
Credit: Family of Darlene Hindsley
"Caregiver became murderer in this sad and disturbing case," said State Attorney R.J. Larizza. "Sometimes the people we entrust with our life take it instead."
Micayla Yusko
The Ponce Inlet Police Department led the investigation with support from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office and investigators from the State Attorney’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Andrew Urbanak successfully prosecuted the case.