In the early morning hours of March 1, 2023, a family friend received a distressing video call from a young child inside a home in Cocoa, Florida. The child reported a shooting, and the friend rushed to the residence on Alan Shepard Avenue in the Canaveral Groves neighborhood. Inside, a horrific scene was discovered. Four people had been shot to death: Constance Terwilliger, a 35-year-old White woman; her 15-year-old daughter, Kiarra Terwilliger; her mother, Glenda Terwilliger, 63; and Michael
Watson, 36. Two young boys, ages six and nine, were found in the home physically unharmed.
Investigators quickly identified the suspect as Domenico Claude Gigante, 36, of Rockledge. He was Constance’s former partner and the biological father of Kiarra. Detectives believed the motive was rooted in Gigante’s growing frustration over his strained relationship with his daughter. According to court records, Gigante had told his roommate the day before the killings, “I guess I’m going to go over there and kill them all.” Authorities also pointed to Gigante’s long and violent criminal history, which included past arrests for domestic violence, battery, and animal cruelty.
Evidence showed that after midnight, Gigante drove to the Terwilliger home, broke inside, and opened fire. Investigators believe he first shot and killed Constance Terwilliger and Michael Watson in the living room. He then went into the bedrooms, where he shot Glenda Terwilliger and his daughter, Kiarra, as they lay in their beds. Surveillance video from the area captured Gigante’s truck arriving and leaving, and recorded the sounds of gunfire and a woman screaming.
Gigante was arrested later that day and charged with four counts of premeditated first-degree murder. A Brevard County grand jury subsequently indicted him on all four counts. Prosecutors stated that the nature of the crimes qualified him for the death penalty and that they were considering seeking it.
Gigante initially entered a plea of not guilty. However, the case came to a close in February 2024 after he changed his plea. Domenico Gigante pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree premeditated murder for killing all four victims.
