On April 2, 2025, Shirley St. Pearre, a 73-year-old woman, was found with a gunshot wound to the head in her home in Valrico, Florida. Deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office responded to a call reporting an accidental injury at the residence. Upon arrival, they discovered St. Pearre in critical condition. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
The call to authorities was made by Michael Zammiello, a 48-year-old man, who initially
claimed that the shooting was accidental. However, after further investigation, detectives determined that the incident was intentional. Zammiello was taken into custody without incident and was initially charged with manslaughter. Later that day, the charge was upgraded to premeditated first-degree murder with a firearm.
During Zammiello's bond hearing on April 7, 2025, prosecutors presented evidence from the Medical Examiner's Office, which indicated that the gunshot was fired from behind the left side of St. Pearre’s head, with the bullet exiting through the front right side. Investigators argued that it would be nearly impossible for an adult to inflict such a wound on themselves. Additionally, they stated that the physical evidence at the scene did not support any of Zammiello’s accounts of the incident. He had changed his story multiple times, first claiming it was an accident and later stating that there had been a struggle for the gun before the shot was fired.
Despite the defense arguing that Zammiello had voluntarily spoken to law enforcement, called 911, and performed CPR on his mother, the judge ruled that none of his explanations adequately accounted for the nature of the wound. As a result, Zammiello was denied bond and will remain in jail until his trial. No trial date has been set at this time.
