Local

Sheriff: Man arrested in connection with death of 4, including child, at Brevard County home

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Update: A man is behind bars for shooting and killing four people in Brevard County early Wednesday morning that left two children orphaned.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Deputies say Domenico Claude Gigante, 36, drove to a home on Alan Shepard Avenue and murdered three generations of family members.

The victims were identified as Glenda Terwilliger, 63, Constance Terwilliger, 35, 15-year-old Kiarra Terwilliger and 36-year-old Andrew Watson.

Deputies said a 9-year-old and 6-year-old survived and called for help.

READ: Happening overnight: NASA, SpaceX to launch 4 astronauts to ISS as part of its Crew-6 mission

Sheriff Wayne Ivey said the suspect has a long criminal history stretching back 18 years that includes road rage and severe animal abuse.

“This is an extremely violent individual with an extremely violent past,” Ivey said. “This individual should’ve never been out on our streets where he could harm someone else.”

READ: Apopka fire union pushes for new chief after death of firefighter Austin Duran

Gigante is facing four counts of first-degree murder. The sheriff said he was Constance Terwilliger’s ex-boyfriend and the father of the 15-year-old.

Deputies are still looking into why he killed them.

Read our previous story below:

Deputies in Brevard County are investigating after four people were found dead inside a home Wednesday morning.

Deputies said three adults and one child were found dead inside a home in the Canaveral Groves community on Alan Shepard Avenue.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Sheriff Wayne Ivey said two children were also found alive inside the home. He said one of the young children FaceTimed an adult they knew around 1 a.m. to let them know her mother was not OK. Investigators said that adult drove to the home and called 911.

Deputies said three of the people found dead were females, including the child. The other is a man. Neighbors said it was a grandmother, mother, teenage girl and man connected to the family who died.

Read: Governor requests information from state attorney’s office on accused Pine Hills shooter’s record

Deputies have not said how the people died, just that there is no threat to the community.

Watch Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey’s update here:

Channel 9 has a crew working to gather more details and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.

Read: Cocoa High School closed Wednesday following power outage

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.