Man fatally shot daughter, 3 others in Brevard County over strained relationship, affidavit shows

Domenico Gigante, 36, faces 1st-degree murder charges

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The man accused of fatally shooting his daughter, her grandmother and two others in their Brevard County home early Wednesday told his roommate exactly what was going to happen, according to an affidavit for an arrest warrant released Thursday by the sheriff’s office.

Domenico Gigante, 36, faces four counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Glenda May Terwillegar, 63; Michael Andrew Watson, 36; Constance Marie Terwillegar, 35; and Kiara Terwillegar, 15.

A man called the sheriff’s office around 2 a.m. to advise that his girlfriend’s two sons — ages 6 and 9 — told him over the phone that their parents were dead, according to the affidavit. The man, who was the boyfriend of Constance Marie Terwillegar, arrived to the home on Alan Shepard Avenue to retrieve the children before calling 911, the affidavit states.

Deputies said Glenda May Terwillegar and Kiara Terwillegar were found in their beds while Watson and Constance Marie Terwillegar were lying next to each other on the living room floor, where investigators noted bloody footprints, according to the affidavit. All four were pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies learned from the boyfriend that Gigante, who is the 15-year-old’s biological father, was struggling to reconnect with her because she had refused him. At this, deputies then responded to Gigante’s Rockledge address, reportedly finding him throwing objects into a trash can, according to the affidavit.

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Deputies made contact with Gigante and his roommate, informing the former of his daughter’s death. Gigante agreed to follow investigators to a secure building for further talks, reentering the residence to get his keys, according to the affidavit. While Gigante was inside, deputies said Gigante’s roommate came outside and told them he had to be separated from the suspect after confronting him over his daughter’s death, asking “Did you do this?”

Gigante replied that he shot her three times, according to the affidavit.

The roommate added that Gigante around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday — frustrated with his daughter and her family — had allegedly stated, “I guess I’m going to go over (there) and kill them all.”

Gigante was taken away by law enforcement as the roommate provided surveillance footage from their home, deputies said. On it, deputies said Gigante can be seen leaving the residence at 12:57 a.m. Wednesday with an object in-hand that appeared to be a firearm, returning less than an hour later at 1:41 a.m.

Surveillance video from the victims’ community documented multiple instances of a vehicle matching Gigante’s in the area at this time and footage obtained from a residence neighboring the victims’ home shows the vehicle enter the victims’ driveway around 1:18 a.m., the affidavit states. At 1:21 a.m., the recording captures the sounds of multiple gunshots and a female scream, deputies said. At 1:23 a.m., vehicle lights could be seen leaving the residence, according to the report.

Investigators based their recommendation of four counts of first-degree murder against Gigante on this narrative.

At a news conference Wednesday, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said the 36-year-old would be held on no bond at the county jail.

Ivey added Gigante had a previous relationship with Constance Marie Terwillegar and a history of violent crime, including animal abuse and domestic violence, dating back to 2005.

“This individual should have never been out on our streets where he could harm someone else,” Ivey said.


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About the Author
Brandon Hogan headshot

Brandon, a UCF grad, joined the ClickOrlando team in November 2021. Before joining News 6, Brandon worked at WDBO.

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