A 74-year-old blind Florida man accused in a 2021 Tampa dismemberment killing stunned a courtroom this week by offering to plead guilty to life behind bars, but only if the judge first ordered him a Philly cheesesteak loaded with onions and mayonnaise, plus fries and a 20-ounce Pepsi.
Robert Kessler, charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a dead body in the death of 47-year-old Stephanie Crone-Overholt, dropped the bizarre bargain during a Hillsborough County hearing as his long-delayed trial was set to begin, according to multiple reports and courtroom video circulating online.
Kessler, who had been representing himself at the time, told Circuit Judge Nick Nazaretian he was willing to take a life sentence “to save the taxpayers” if he got the meal. When the judge sought clarification, the defendant doubled down: onions, mayonnaise, fries, and the Pepsi.
The judge shot it down on the spot. “I can’t obviously give food to people to enter a plea. That would be wrong in a thousand ways,” Nazaretian said, according to accounts of the proceedings. He added that he could guarantee Kessler lunch that day, just not a specific order.
Kessler then backpedaled, telling the court he did not want an open plea after all and asking to proceed with jury selection. He later changed his mind about self-representation and returned to using a public defender, and at one point indicated he preferred not to be present in the courtroom for the trial.
Prosecutors allege Kessler met Crone-Overholt, a Pennsylvania mother of three who had been staying at his home after they crossed paths at a McDonald’s, and that she was killed there in early November 2021. Fishermen later discovered her dismembered remains in garbage bags floating in Tampa’s McKay Bay, near the area of Kessler’s residence. Investigators have cited DNA evidence linking material found at the home to the victim, along with other circumstantial details.
The case, described as one of the oldest pending in the county, has faced delays over questions about Kessler’s fitness and other issues. He has been held in jail for nearly five years while awaiting trial. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
The courtroom moment has drawn widespread attention for its sheer oddity, with the video of Kessler calmly naming his cheesesteak order while facing a murder trial spreading rapidly. Kessler’s specific request for mayonnaise on the sandwich has also drawn mockery online, with commenters noting that the topping is controversial among traditional Philly cheesesteak purists.
No plea deal was reached. The trial is moving forward.
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