A judge denied a request to hold an out-of-state convicted felon without bond in the North Fort Myers shooting death of his mother while he played with a gun while putting away his freshly laundered clothing.
Joseph Delnegro, 49, faces charges of second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and grand theft of a firearm. Court documents identified the victim as Delnegro’s mother, but her full name remains redacted.
Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner on Jan. 23 filed a motion for pretrial detention. Lee Circuit Judge Robert Branning denied the motion on Jan. 27 and set bond at $1,055,000. Delnegro remained in custody as of Feb. 5.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies on Jan. 21 responded to a shooting at a home on Delft Avenue in North Fort Myers.
The sheriff’s office said the investigation revealed Delnegro is a convicted felon from Colorado and does not have his rights restored to legally possess a firearm. The gun authorities said he used was stolen.
A heavily redacted report says a 911 caller reported his wife was shot while his son-in-law played with a firearm.
In the background of the 911 call, authorities said, a man screamed, “Mom!” followed by, “she’s not breathing.” The woman died at the home.
Authorities spoke with Delnegro while he held a child in the driveway. Delnegro told them he shot his mother accidentally and he was “not supposed to have a gun.”
The report says sheriff’s deputies later found a handgun in Delnegro’s bedroom in a drawer.
About a month before the shooting, Delnegro told authorities, he found a handgun inside the restroom of a Pine Island bar “but was unsure of the name of the bar.”
The report says Delnegro took the weapon without attempting to find the owner or provided it to bar staff.
On Jan. 21, after he finished eating dinner, Delnegro told sheriff’s deputies, he went to his bedroom to put laundry away. During that time, he said, he took the handgun out of the drawer and placed it on the dresser.
After Delnegro put his clothes in the dresser, the report says, “he went to put the firearm back in when it went off.”
Delnegro told sheriff’s officials he then heard his mother scream and ran to find her suffering from a gunshot wound.
His arraignment is Feb. 23.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@usatodayco.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: SW Fl judge allows bond for convicted felon accused of killing mom
Reporting by Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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