Florida murder suspect represents himself in court. Then he tells the judge he will plead guilty for ‘Philly cheesesteak, fries, and Pepsi’

A Florida man accused of murdering and dismembering a woman offered to plead guilty to the charges if a judge agreed to give him a very specific meal, according to People. Robert Kessler, 74, made the unusual request while appearing in court for jury selection, even spelling out the toppings he wanted on his Philly cheesesteak.

Kessler appeared before Hillsborough Circuit Judge Nick Nazaretian in connection with the 2021 death of Stephanie Crone-Overholt, 47. According to the court video posted by Law & Crime Trials on YouTube, the judge told Kessler that he could enter an open plea and “get a life in prison,” allowing him to bring the case to an end.

After briefly considering the offer, Kessler responded with a counterproposal of his own, asking for his favorite cheesesteak. “I’ll do that for a Philly cheesesteak, and an order of fries and a Pepsi,” he told the judge. The judge asked him to confirm what he just said, to which he added, “a Philly cheesesteak with onions on it and mayonnaise and fries and 20 oz. of peppers.”

The judge did not agree

Kessler reportedly suggested the arrangement could also save taxpayers money. The judge, however, made it clear that he could not offer food in exchange for a guilty plea. “I can’t obviously give food to people to enter a plea,” Nazaretian said, adding “that would be wrong in a thousand ways.” Although he said that he could guarantee Kessler would get lunch that day, but could not promise what the meal would be.

The exchange didn’t end there. Later in the video, Kessler asked whether they could proceed with jury selection, making it clear he was no longer offering to plead guilty without the food he wanted. “Don’t want to open plea,” he said. He also told the court to “just pick the jury. I want this cheese sandwich. If I get the sandwich then I could go for it, but I’m not going to get it.”

According to the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office, Kessler has chosen to represent himself at trial. He faces charges of first-degree murder and abuse of a dead body. The charges stem from the death of Crone-Overholt, whose dismembered remains were discovered in McKay Bay by fishermen in November 2021. An affidavit reviewed by the outlet alleges that at least three witnesses saw a man matching Kessler’s description throwing trash bags into the water.

Investigators also learned that Crone-Overholt had been staying with Kessler and his daughter in the days before she disappeared. According to the affidavit, Kessler’s daughter told authorities she had seen him arguing with Crone-Overholt before she went missing. The woman had reportedly asked Kessler for $200 so she could leave. His trial is set to continue at a later date.