Posted on 10/30/2026 7:11:13 AM PDT by V_TWIN
A Florida man on trial for murder in the US has made an unusual offer in court in exchange for a guilty confession. Robert Kessler, 74, told a Hillsborough Circuit Judge that he would plead guilty if he could get a "Philly cheesesteak", "fries, and a Pepsi".
Kessler is accused of killing 47-year-old Stephanie Crone-Overholts, who had been staying at his Tampa-area home in 2021. He faces charges of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, according to a WFLA report.
The unusual incident happened earlier this week, when Kessler, who has reportedly turned blind now, appeared before Hillsborough Circuit Judge Nick Nazaretian for jury selection in his murder trial. Before the jury selection began, the judge told him he could enter a plea deal and get "life in prison and be done with it."
In a clip of the proceeding circulating on social media, Kessler, who was representing himself, can be seen debating the possibility for a few seconds before he says, "I'll do that for a Philly cheesesteak."
After a pause, he added, "And an order of fries and a Pepsi," the Court TV video showed.
The proposition appeared to shock the judge, who told him to confirm his demand. To this, Kessler said, "A Philly cheesesteak with onions on it and mayonnaise and fries and 20 oz. of peppers." He went on to say that a meal deal would save taxpayers' money by avoiding a full trial. The judge, however, turned down his demand. "I can't obviously give food to people to enter a plea," Nazaretian said.
(Excerpt) Read more at ndtv.com ...
Technically this psycho isn't Florida Man...he is originally from Pennsylvania.
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Not that I would lend credence to the idea that he should get leniency for being insane because dangerous people are still dangerous even if they have psychiatric problems and need punishment/incarceration, but this guy definitely has mental problems. To admit guilt in court for nothing but a sandwich tells me he can’t reason.
Pleas bargains are how the U.S. criminal justice systems works. It’s all a Persian baazar. In this case, the judge just couldn’t accept the guilty plea in exchange for a good meal.
I don't know... He's in Florida, a long way from Philly. I'm originally from the Philly area, and "A Philly cheesesteak with onions on it and mayonnaise and fries and 20 oz. of peppers" sounds entirely reasonable. It'd be worth just about anything.
OTOH, asking for a Pepsi, that's insane. Gotta be Coke. Or a beer.
Maybe it’s an insanity ploy. Blind, and 74. Ten years is probably the most he has left. He’ll die in prison long before he’d be executed.
All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi!
” 20 oz. of peppers”
It was a 20 oz Pepsi. I saw the video. He was quite specific and the judge was almost laughing and taking it quite well.
Coke...the official cola of confessing murderers and death row!
What an idiot. Nobody put mayonaise on a Philly Cheesesteak. Spicy Ranch; yes. Mayo; no.
Hence his request for a Philly Cheesesteak.
“Maybe it’s an insanity ploy. Blind, and 74”
My wife and I watched this whole exchange on YouTube yesterday.
While discussing representation he pointed directly at one of the public defenders the state is providing for him.
I looked at my wife and said “if he’s blind how does he know where people are and who to point to?”
He might be crazy, and I even have my doubts about that, but that MFer IS NOT blind.
The people on court tv even suspect claiming to be blind is some kind of attempt to throw a monkey wrench into the court proceedings.
Kessler stated he met Crone-Overholts at a McDonald’s
where she mentioned she was living out of her car.
Kessler offered to let her stay at his house
for a few days so she could get back on her feet.
She had been staying at his home for a short period—about a couple of weeks—
sleeping in a bedroom that belonged to a child in Kessler’s care.
“...should get leniency...”
What leniency? He was stupid enough to be willing to admit he committed a crime for exchange of a sandwish and cheesecake. He confesses, the case goes forward. No leniency there. He just saved time and taxpayer funds.
Besides, it is said he is going blind. So don’t tell him what’s on the cheesecake. Make it a surprise.
wy69
Is Bud Lite possible to be on the table?
For me, it would be a roast pork sammich au jus with broccoli rabe in garlic and oil on a Sarcone's hoagie roll. Like they made at Tony Luke's before he went to jail for tax fraud. And yeah, Coca-Cola.
I live 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia. A Philly cheese steak with sauce and onions has gotta be an Amoroso roll. Anything else is a sacrilege.
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