Domenico C. Gigante, a 40-year-old Florida man and former emergency medical technician, pleaded guilty Thursday to four counts of first-degree premeditated murder in connection with the March 2023 killings of his teenage daughter and three others at a Rockledge home.
Background
Court documents reveal that Gigante had been growing increasingly enraged over his strained relationship with his daughter, Kiarra Terwilliger, and her refusal to maintain contact with him. According to prosecutors, the night before the massacre, Gigante told his roommate he was fed up with his daughter and "her family," declaring, "I guess I'm going to go over them and kill them all."
The killings occurred in the early morning hours of March 1, 2023, at a residence on Alan Shepard Avenue in Rockledge. Surveillance footage showed Gigante leaving his home in his Dodge pickup truck around 12:57 a.m., carrying what appeared to be a firearm wrapped in a black cloth.
Approximately 20 minutes later, investigators say he arrived at the victim's home. At about 1:21 a.m., surveillance cameras captured several gunshots and a woman screaming from inside the residence. About two minutes later, the camera recorded his truck departing the driveway.
The Investigation
When Brevard County Sheriff's Office deputies entered the home, they discovered Michael Watson, 36, and Constance Terwilliger, 35, dead on the living room floor amid a "large pool of blood." Officers recovered a shell casing nearby and observed bloody footprints. Kiarra Terwilliger was found deceased in one bedroom with gunshot wounds, while her maternal grandmother, Glenda Terwilliger, 63, lay dead in another room with a single gunshot wound to the head.
Two children ages 6 and 9 survived the attack and called a relative for help after Gigante fled. Investigators quickly identified him as the suspect. When his roommate learned of the killings, he confronted Gigante directly: "Did you do this?" According to an affidavit, Gigante responded that "he had" and revealed he "shot [his daughter] three times."
Authorities located Gigante in Spanish Fort, Alabama, inside Constance Terwilliger's vehicle. Inside the car, investigators recovered a Taurus handgun later confirmed as the weapon used in the killings.
Key Takeaways
- Gigante pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree premeditated murder and one count of armed burglary with a firearm causing death
- The victims include his teenage daughter Kiarra Terwilliger, her mother Constance Terwilliger, maternal grandmother Glenda Terwilliger, and Michael Watson
- Prosecutors are continuing to seek the death penalty against Gigante despite his guilty plea
- Circuit Judge Laura Moody will decide the sentence after Gigante waived his right to a jury trial and jury penalty proceeding
- Two children ages 6 and 9 survived by calling a relative for help
What's Next
Circuit Judge Laura Moody is scheduled to determine whether Gigante will be sentenced to death at a hearing set for late October or early November. The State Attorney's Office cited multiple aggravating factors in its notice of intent to seek capital punishment, including the cold, calculated nature of the killings and that one victim was under Gigante's familial authority.
Gigante, who initially had public defender representation, chose to represent himself starting in July before pleading guilty Thursday. "The state doesn't need to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt. I'm guilty, and I meet the aggravating factors. I have no interest in appealing," he told Judge Moody during the plea hearing.