Inset: Rogelio Prestol (Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The home in Port Charlotte, Florida, where Rogelio Prestol allegedly murdered his wife (WFTX/YouTube).
A Florida man murdered his wife in front of their young kids as she tried to climb out of the home’s window because he thought she was cheating on him, authorities say.
Rogelio Prestol, 46, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 40-year-old wife Jhesandra Prestol, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, deputies responded shortly before 7:30 p.m. Sunday to the 13000 block of Holtville Avenue in Port Charlotte after the husband called 911 to say he had just killed his wife. Paramedics arrived to find the victim lying facedown on the walkway of the residence, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They pronounced her dead.
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Two children reportedly witnessed the shooting, but were physically unharmed. One of the kids told cops “his ears hurt because he was really close when his father shot his mother,” the affidavit said.
In an interview with detectives, Prestol, after receiving his Miranda warning, said within the last two months he suspected his wife was having an affair, according to the affidavit. He learned that she was speaking with someone on TikTok and Telegram, per cops. When he confronted her about this, she reportedly said she wanted a divorce.
On the day in question, Prestol came to suspect his wife had been sending money to the person she had been talking with online, the affidavit said. He demanded she unlock her phone so he could look at her messages but she refused, he told cops. That’s when he allegedly pulled out a 9 mm handgun and pointed it at his wife “in an attempt to scare her into complying,” cops said. Seeing this, one of their children “pled with the victim to just comply” with the demand, according to police.
It was at this point that Jhesandra Prestol began climbing out of the home office window. Her husband allegedly began shooting at her. She made it outside, but the suspect moved to the front porch and continued to fire at her “until he ran out of ammunition,” the affidavit said. He later allegedly told cops he never bothered to come to her aid because he “knew she was dead.”
She was suffering from gunshot wounds to her buttocks, back, arm and chest.
After allegedly murdering his wife, Rogelio Prestol said he called his brother to tell him what he had just done. He stated his intention of killing himself, but the brother talked him out of doing so and told him to call 911, which he did. The suspect told cops that he felt as if he deserved the death penalty.
Officers took Prestol to the Charlotte County Jail where he is being held without bond. His next court date is scheduled for Friday.
Neighbors Tyler Starr and Cindi Starr told Fort Myers Fox affiliate WFTX that the Prestol family moved into the home just a few months ago.
“He seemed like a really nice guy,” she told the outlet. “Usually I have like feelers you know, never once got an inkling that he would be capable of something like this.”
Tyler Starr said they did not hear any gunshots but noticed flashing lights outside.
“There’s like 50 cops outside our door, so like any other citizen we ran to our window and looked out and there was a line of police, with shields [and] AR15’s,” he said. “They had shotguns and I noticed they were going right down our road to our neighbor’s house.”
In a statement, Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell called the killing a “despicable” act.
“There are no words to express how terrible this is or the impact it will have on so many lives,” the statement said. “The act itself is despicable, and only made worse by the fact that there were children in the home at the time. My heart breaks for them and for everyone who knew Jhesandra. Domestic violence of any kind is disgusting, and I pray that anyone who is experiencing it sees this and realizes that this is a possible outcome. To those people, please know that you are not alone and help is available. Don’t wait until this happens to you.”
