A Florida man is on trial for the murder and dismemberment of a woman in 2021, but Robert Kessler said he would change his plea in exchange for a cheesesteak and a Pepsi.
Jury selection was underway on Monday. Kessler, who is accused of killing a Pennsylvania woman staying in his home, is acting as his own attorney, WFLA reported.
The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office, 13th Judicial Circuit, said Kessler scattered the woman’s body parts in McKay Bay near Tampa. She was identified as Stephanie Cron-Overholts, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
He had been warned about representing himself, but decided to do so despite being represented by a public defender for the past five years before his trial, the Tampa Bay Times said.
He told the judge he has a high school education and no legal experience, but said he understood his case.
The judge told Kessler that he could enter an open plea and get life in prison “and be done with it.”
Kessler told the court on Monday that he was interested in entering an open plea if he got a cheesesteak, fries, and a 20-ounce Pepsi “to save the taxpayers.” It is not known if Kessler was joking or serious about changing his plea, the newspaper noted.
The judge denied the request, saying, “I’ve never, in my 40 years, almost 40 years, heard that request before. That’s interesting,” then explaining it would be “wrong in a thousand ways,” according to WFLA.
Kessler later told the court, “Don’t want to open plea. 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.”
During the proceedings on Monday, Kessler claimed he did not see case materials, disagreed with the assistant public defender, and said he had issues with vision impairment.
At one point, he told the court, “I’m darkened out to where I don’t see these three fingers,” as he held up his hand. “That gives you an idea.”
The court provided Kessler with earphones and a machine to help him read documents.
An intern from the public defender’s office went to the prison to read him the discovery, but he refused the visit, according to attorney Maria Dunker.
Kessler faces a mandatory life sentence in prison if convicted, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
©2026 Cox Media Group
