Judge rejects Kessler’s plea-for-cheesesteak request

Robert Kessler told a Florida judge he would plead guilty to murder in exchange for a cheesesteak meal, but the judge rejected the request and jury selection continued on October 26, 2026. Kessler, 74, appeared before Hillsborough Circuit Judge Nick Nazaretian as jury selection began in his trial over the 2021 death of Stephanie CroneOverholt. Kessler said he would enter an open plea for a Philly cheesesteak with onions and mayonnaise, fries and a Pepsi. He also said the arrangement would save taxpayers money. Nazaretian told Kessler he could not provide food in exchange for a plea. An open plea would not guarantee a particular sentence; the judge discussed the possibility that it could result in life in prison. After the request was refused, Kessler said he did not want to plead without the meal and asked the court to continue selecting a jury. Kessler faces charges of first-degree murder and abuse of a dead body. He has pleaded not guilty, and the case remains a trial, not a conviction. If found guilty, he faces a possible life sentence. CroneOverholt, 47, was reported missing in 2021. Fishermen found one of her legs in McKay Bay in November of that year, and additional...