A Florida lady who fatally shot a person within the car parking zone of a Walmart throughout a confrontation over a parking house will not face costs, prosecutors introduced Thursday.
The Broward County State Lawyer’s Workplace mentioned Florida’s “stand your floor” legislation makes the shooter, who mentioned she was appearing in self-defense, immune from prosecution in reference to the June 30 taking pictures in North Lauderdale.
Bart Diguglielmo, 62, was shot and killed within the incident, which was captured on a number of movies, together with from cellphones and a Tesla, in line with a memo on the taking pictures launched Thursday by the Broward County State Lawyer’s Workplace.
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“A dispute over a parking house. In a Walmart car parking zone. The information surrounding the June 30, 2026, murder of Bart DiGuglielmo are as tragic as they’re absurd,” Broward State Lawyer’s Workplace Murder Trial Unit Division Chief Stephen Zaccor wrote within the memo. “There may be comparatively no dispute about what truly occurred as a result of the whole incident was captured by numerous video recording units.”
The shooter, recognized within the memo as Melissa Payne, was driving together with her niece and niece’s child when she and Diguglielmo acquired right into a “transient stalemate” after making an attempt to park in the identical spot, the memo mentioned.
Broward County State Lawyer’s Workplace – PHOTO: A nonetheless included within the Broward County State Lawyer’s Workplace memo on a taking pictures in a Walmart car parking zone in North Lauderdale, Florida, June 30, 2026.
DiGuglielmo “inexplicably deserted his automobile within the via lane of journey” and went into the shop, earlier than shortly returning to his automobile, in line with the memo. A number of witnesses reported listening to him say he was going to “mess her automobile up” and “—- her s— up,” earlier than driving off at a excessive fee of pace, parking after which strolling towards Payne’s automobile, in line with the memo. A witness described him as being “visibly offended” whereas taking a look at Payne, in line with the memo.
Payne exited her automobile holding a telephone in her left hand and a firearm in her proper and mentioned, per a witness, “In case you preserve coming as much as me, I will ——- shoot you!” the memo said.
The witness reported that “regardless of these warnings,” DiGuglielmo continued to method, and video confirmed him “aggressively method” Payne, in line with the memo.
Broward County State Lawyer’s Workplace – PHOTO: A nonetheless included within the Broward County State Lawyer’s Workplace memo on a taking pictures in a Walmart car parking zone in North Lauderdale, Florida, June 30, 2026.
DiGuglielmo “continued his pursuit” as Payne backed away from him, in line with the memo. He’s seen on video persevering with to pursue her and “motioned as if he was going to break” her automobile along with his keys, in line with the memo.
DiGuglielmo turned again after which approached Payne, at which level she fired her gun, putting him within the stomach, in line with the memo.
Payne was on the telephone together with her husband throughout the taking pictures, who instructed authorities that she mentioned, “Bae, I shot. Name the cops,” in line with the memo.
She was briefly taken into custody by the Broward Sheriff’s Workplace and her “recitation of the information was in keeping with the assorted sources of video proof,” the memo said. She was launched after stating she acted in self-defense, prosecutors mentioned.
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In an evaluation of the incident, Zaccor said that Payne was “in a public place, a Walmart car parking zone, and due to this fact was in a spot she had a proper to be.” She additional is just not a convicted felon and had a proper to own a firearm, “due to this fact she was not doing something illegal on the time she used lethal drive,” he wrote.
“Accordingly,” Zaccor continued, Payne “had the correct to face her floor if she was in cheap concern of demise or nice bodily hurt.” Based mostly on the proof, the state is unable to show that her concern of nice bodily hurt was “not cheap,” he wrote, citing DiGuglielmo’s actions.
Zaccor mentioned that as a result of Florida is a stand-your-ground state, Payne “didn’t have to attend to be attacked earlier than resorting to lethal drive. She didn’t need to retreat so long as her concern was cheap and no proof has been offered to disprove that.”