Domenico C. Gigante waived a jury trial and penalty proceeding, leaving a judge to decide whether he receives death or life imprisonment.
VIERA, Fla. — A 40-year-old Florida man has pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the 2023 killings of his teenage daughter and three other people in Brevard County, moving the capital case directly toward sentencing.
Domenico C. Gigante entered the guilty pleas Aug. 27 and also pleaded guilty to one count of armed burglary with a firearm, according to Florida’s 18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said the pleas will not change their decision to seek the death penalty. Gigante also waived his right to a jury trial and to have a jury participate in the penalty phase, meaning Brevard County Circuit Judge Laura Moody will determine his sentence.
The victims were Gigante’s biological daughter, Kiarra Terwilliger, 15; her mother and Gigante’s former partner, Constance Terwilliger, 35; Kiarra’s grandmother, Glenda Terwilliger, 63; and Michael Watson, 36, who lived at the home. Two younger children were also inside the residence when the killings occurred but were not physically injured.
Authorities said the killings happened during the early morning hours of March 1, 2023, at a house on Alan Shepard Avenue in the Canaveral Groves area northwest of Cocoa. Prosecutors said Gigante left his home in Rockledge at about 1 a.m., traveled to the residence and broke into the house while members of the household were sleeping. He then fatally shot the four victims before leaving, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
The two younger children, who were ages 6 and 9 at the time, survived the shooting. Authorities said one of the children contacted a relative for help after Gigante left. That contact led to law enforcement being called to the residence. Deputies found the four victims dead and the children unharmed. The surviving children were later placed with relatives.
Investigators focused on Gigante within hours. Authorities said evidence showed him leaving his Rockledge residence around the time of the killings and traveling toward the Canaveral Groves home. Earlier reporting based on investigative records said surveillance footage documented a vehicle associated with Gigante near the residence. A witness also told investigators that Gigante had been frustrated over a strained relationship with his daughter, who did not want to reconnect with him, and that he had threatened members of the family before the killings.
Brevard County sheriff’s investigators arrested Gigante later March 1. A grand jury subsequently indicted him on four counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm and an armed burglary charge. Prosecutors later announced they would pursue capital punishment, citing several aggravating factors they said applied to the case, including the number of people killed, the killing of Gigante’s daughter while she was under his familial authority and the fact that the deaths occurred during a burglary.
The case remained pending for more than three years as it moved toward a potential capital trial. Gigante initially had a public defender but chose in July 2026 to represent himself. His Aug. 27 guilty pleas eliminated the need for prosecutors to prove the murder charges at trial. He also gave up his right to have jurors hear evidence and make a recommendation during the penalty phase.
At the plea hearing, Gigante told Moody that his goal was “to take full accountability.” The former emergency medical technician also acknowledged the seriousness of the crimes and told the court that prosecutors no longer needed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt because he was admitting guilt. Moody reviewed his pleas and waivers before accepting them.
Prosecutors have said they will continue seeking a death sentence despite Gigante’s admissions. In their death-penalty filing, they cited the multiple murders, the killing of a victim under Gigante’s familial authority, the commission of the crimes during a burglary and their position that the killings were committed in a calculated and premeditated manner. Those factors will be considered during the sentencing process along with any mitigating evidence allowed by the court.
Because Gigante waived a jury penalty proceeding, Moody will make the sentencing decision without a jury recommendation. The State Attorney’s Office said the sentencing hearing is expected in late October or early November. No sentence had been imposed as of Sept. 9, and prosecutors continue to seek the death penalty.
Author note: Last updated September 9, 2026.