On March 1, 2023, 15-year-old Kiarra Terwilliger was fatally shot along with her mother Constance Terwilliger (35), maternal grandmother Glenda Terwilliger (63), and Michael Watson (36, the father of Kiarra's two younger siblings) in their home on Alan Shephard Avenue in Canaveral Groves, Brevard County, Florida. Two younger children (ages 7 and 9) were found alive and unharmed in the home. One of the surviving children contacted a relative via a video call similar to FaceTime to report the shooting, which led to a 911 call around 2 a.m. Kiarra's biological father, Domenico Gigante (36), was arrested later that day and charged with four counts of first-degree premeditated murder. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was ruled homicide.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
The fatality report identifies the cause of death as "Multiple Gunshot Wounds" and references the victims being "found deceased from gunshot wounds in the home." The news article confirms the victims were "fatally shot."
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The fatality report states the cause of death as "Multiple Gunshot Wounds" and the manner of death as "Homicide." The child was fatally shot by her biological father, Domenico Gigante. The news article corroborates this, noting the victims "had been found deceased from gunshot wounds in the home."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
The fatality report identifies Domenico Gigante as the "Father of Kiarra" and states that the investigation was closed with "Verified Findings of death and physical injury as to Kiarra Terwilliger, with Domenico Gigante as the caregiver responsible." The news article confirms: "the suspect was identified as Domenico Gigante, 36, of Rockledge. He was the father of Kiara." He was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree premeditated murder.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The fatality report states: "The Brevard County Sheriff's Office has arrested the 36-year-old father of the 15-year-old child for the murder of four people... charging him with First Degree Premeditated Murder (4 Counts)." The news article confirms: "Gigante was arrested in the afternoon and charged with four counts of first-degree premeditated murder."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The news article includes a domestic violence hotline notice at the end: "If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233." This editorial inclusion signals the case is being contextualized as domestic violence. Additionally, the perpetrator (Domenico Gigante) was described by the sheriff as "an extremely violent individual with an extremely violent past dating back as far as 2005," and he killed his former partner (Constance Terwilliger), their daughter, and two other household members. While the word 'domestic violence' is not used in the fatality report, the context of a former intimate partner committing a quadruple homicide in the family home strongly implies domestic violence.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The news article quotes Sheriff Ivey: "I'm going to tell you that this is an extremely violent individual with an extremely violent past dating back as far as 2005, who should have never been on our streets, where he could take the lives of this entire family." This statement explicitly references prior criminal history predating the current incident.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the sources. The news article describes how one of the surviving children (ages 6 or 9) contacted a relative via video call ("Something like FaceTime, or something of that nature") to report what had happened, which led to the 911 call around 2 a.m. Sheriff Ivey stated that Gigante was "an extremely violent individual with an extremely violent past dating back as far as 2005, who should have never been on our streets," suggesting a systemic failure in keeping a known violent offender from committing further acts of violence. Additionally, decoded portions of the OCR-garbled fatality report text indicate the State Attorney filed intention to seek the Death Penalty and that a Grand Jury returned an indictment. Gigante was also charged with Armed Burglary of a Dwelling in addition to the four murder counts.
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