TAMPA, Fla. — The man accused of killing a woman and leaving parts of her body in McKay Bay has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge.
According to the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office, police originally charged Robert Kessler, 69, with second-degree murder. However, on Thursday, a grand jury indicted Kessler on a higher charge of first-degree, premeditated murder.
The state attorney's office says an indictment is just a formal accusation against a person "suspected of a crime."
Kessler was arrested for the murder of 47-year-old Stephanie Crone-Overholts. Police said Kessler was already in custody on an unrelated drug charge.
According to authorities, Crone-Overholts was living with Kessler before her disappearance. When police questioned him about her, he told authorities she had left.
However, police said it turned out Kessler was lying because after locating Crone-Overholts' car, authorities found her blood inside of it. After searching Kessler's home, police said they found the same blood on a pair of shoes.
Crone-Overholts had moved to Florida in 2020 from Pennsylvania. Law enforcement said she met Kessler at a fast-food restaurant and told him she lived in her car before Kessler invited her to live with him.
Police said they were first tipped off to Crone-Overholts' death after a fisherman discovered a human leg on Nov. 11 in McKay Bay. Authorities said they would later find additional body parts in the bay.
The cause of death is still unknown. However, the medical examiner ruled the case a homicide.
The investigation is still ongoing.