Father killed daughter, 3 others in Cocoa home over strained relationship: affidavit
COCOA, Fla. - The man who deputies said is responsible for the shooting deaths of four people inside a Brevard County home did so because he was upset over a strained relationship with his daughter, who was one of the victims.
Domenico Claude Gigante, 36, is accused of killing his daughter Kiera Terwilliger, 15, and his ex-girlfriend, Constance Marie Terwilliger, 35 along with Glenda Mae Terwilliger, 63, and Michael Andrew Watson, 36, early Wednesday morning.
According to an arrest warrant, Gigante reportedly expressed to his roommate on Feb. 28 his frustrations regarding his situation with his biological daughter and her family. He then said to his roommate, "I guess I'm going to go over [there] and kill them all."
Man accused of killing daughter, 3 others in Brevard County shootings
A death investigation is underway in Cocoa, Florida after four bodies were found inside a home early Wednesday morning. Deputies made the discovery around 2 a.m. at a home on Alan Shepard Avenue in the Canaveral Groves neighborhood.
A couple of days later on March 1 at 1:55 a.m., a child contacted a person close to the family through Facetime and reported that his parents were dead, deputies said. The man drove to the house and found four people dead, including his daughter, and two children who were unharmed.
After detectives arrived at the home, they learned Gigante was the biological father of Kiera and had been trying to reconnect with his daughter who was reluctant to have a relationship with him, according to the affidavit.
When detectives arrived at Gigante's home, they saw his silver Dodge pick-up truck in the driveway and observed him throwing items into a trash can. They requested Gigante and his roommate come down to the Criminal Investigative Services building to answer some questions.
When the two went back inside, the roommate asked Gigante, "Did you do this"? He told his roommate he had "shot her three times," according to detectives.
Ring camera footage showed Gigante entering his truck with a black object that appeared to be a gun in his hand around 12:57 a.m. Wednesday. Surveillance footage from the family's neighborhood showed Gigante in the driveway of his daughter's home at 1:18 a.m. A few minutes later, gunshots are heard on audio captured near the home. Gigante is seen leaving the Cocoa home at 1:23 a.m. and returning to his home in Rockledge at 1:41 a.m.
Gigante is facing four counts of first-degree premeditated murder and remains in Brevard County jail.