Domenico Gigante represented himself and waived a jury penalty hearing, leaving a Brevard County judge to determine his sentence.
VIERA, Fla. — A Florida man pleaded guilty Thursday to four counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the 2023 killings of his 15-year-old daughter and three other people at a Canaveral Groves home, ending the question of guilt while prosecutors continue to seek the death penalty.
Domenico C. Gigante, 40, entered the pleas Aug. 27 before Brevard County Circuit Judge Laura Moody while representing himself. He also pleaded guilty to an armed burglary charge connected to the killings. Gigante waived his right to a trial and to have a jury participate in the penalty phase, meaning Moody will decide whether he is sentenced to death or receives life imprisonment. The State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s 18th Judicial Circuit said it is continuing to pursue capital punishment.
The victims were Gigante’s daughter, Kiarra Terwilliger, 15; her mother, Constance Terwilliger, 35; Constance’s mother, Glenda Terwilliger, 63; and Michael Watson, 36, who was living at the residence. The four were killed during the early morning hours of March 1, 2023, at a home on Alan Shepard Avenue in Canaveral Groves, an area northwest of Cocoa in Brevard County. Two younger children who were also inside the home survived without physical injuries.
Prosecutors said Gigante left his Rockledge home and drove to the Canaveral Groves residence, where his daughter lived with her mother and other members of the household. According to the State Attorney’s Office, Gigante entered the house while the occupants were sleeping and fatally shot the four victims. Prosecutors have said the killings followed growing anger connected to Gigante’s strained relationship with his daughter and her refusal to have a relationship with him.
The two surviving children helped bring authorities to the residence. Officials said one of the children contacted a relative after the shootings. The relative went to the home and contacted law enforcement while remaining in communication with the child. Brevard County deputies responded shortly before 2 a.m. and found the four victims dead. The children were removed from the home and later reunited with family members.
Investigators identified Gigante as a suspect later that day. Authorities said evidence showed him leaving his Rockledge residence and traveling toward the victims’ home around the time of the killings. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office arrested him March 1, 2023. A grand jury later indicted him on four counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm and one armed burglary count.
The prosecution later announced it would seek the death penalty. The State Attorney’s Office cited several aggravating factors in its notice, including the four killings, the murder of Gigante’s daughter while she was under his familial authority and the fact that the killings occurred during a burglary. Prosecutors have also characterized the crimes as calculated and premeditated. Those factors are expected to be part of the sentencing proceedings before Moody.
Gigante was initially represented by a public defender and had pleaded not guilty. The case remained pending for more than three years as it moved toward a potential capital trial. In July 2026, Gigante chose to dismiss his public defender and represent himself. The court allowed him to proceed without an attorney after reviewing his decision and the consequences of self-representation.
His position changed before the case reached trial. During Thursday’s plea hearing at the Moore Justice Center in Viera, Gigante acknowledged responsibility for the four deaths and abandoned his previous not-guilty plea. “My end goal today is to take full accountability,” he told the court. His guilty pleas mean prosecutors no longer have to prove the murder charges to a jury, shifting the case directly toward the question of punishment.
Gigante also waived a jury penalty proceeding. Under that decision, Moody will consider the prosecution’s aggravating evidence and any mitigating information presented during the penalty phase before determining the sentence. Prosecutors have made clear that the guilty pleas did not change their decision to pursue the death penalty. Gigante remains in custody while the sentencing process moves forward.
The State Attorney’s Office said the sentencing hearing is expected in late October or early November. No sentence had been imposed as of Aug. 28, and Moody will make the final decision between the penalties available under Florida law.
Author note: Last updated August 28, 2026.