North Port man found guilty of murder in connection to fatal shooting of ex-girlfriend

After about an hour and 20 minutes of deliberating, a 12-person jury on Friday came back with a verdict of guilty for first-degree murder for Robert Parolisi, of North Port, in the shooting death of Amber Shildneck in 2020.

Sarasota Circuit Court Judge Thomas Krug sentenced Parolisi, 51, to life in prison without the possibility of parole after the verdict was read.

Parolisi's attorney, Jerome Meisner, argued over the course of the trial that his client had acted in self-defense and that Shildneck had been the aggressor the afternoon of May 1, 2020. Parolisi remained stone-faced as the verdict was read and the jury polled. His mother, who testified during the trial, sat alone Friday afternoon two rows behind her son in the gallery.

Dig deeper: North Port man accused of fatally shooting ex-girlfriend in 2020 on trial

Previous reporting: North Port shooting suspect arrested near Gainesville

Meisner told the judge that they most likely would be seeking an appeal but had to speak with his client more first.

Following the reading of the verdict, Shildneck's friends and family hugged and comforted each other as tears flowed and sighs of relief escaped following the jury's exit from the courtroom.

Prior to sentencing, four of Shildneck's family and friends made statements to Parolisi, each describing Shildneck as being beautiful, irreplaceable, sweet, and full of smiles.

"My sweet girl was a gentle soul," Shildneck's father said during his statement, at one moment tearing up as he stood behind one of his granddaughters.

"We're not as forgiving as we used to be," Shildneck's childhood friend said. "That is why, Robert Parolisi, I will never forgive you for taking Amber's life," she went on to say, adding Shildneck's daughters and the world will never forgive him.

Dierdre Francoletti, who testified during the trial and was a very close friend of Shildneck's, said she didn't think Parolisi cared how anything that happened affected Shildneck's friends and family, but spoke some on how the events leading up to the incident and the shooting had impacted him. She also conveyed how much Shildneck had loved Parolisi and that she had been willing to change for him.

"She was the (expletive) world, the sun and everything in it," Francoletti concluded.

Closing arguments: Premediated murder or self-defense?

Assistant State Attorney Andrew van Sickle led the closing arguments Friday, saying that the only aspect of the case that needed to be discussed was the intent, as, over the course of the week, it was proven that Shildneck was dead and that Parolisi had fatally shot her.

Van Sickle walked the jury through the photos of Parolisi's home following the shooting, pointing out how everything in the kitchen seemed undisturbed despite an alleged struggle over the gun and how if Shildneck had intended to harm Parolisi, she could have grabbed a box cutter or scissors left on a counter where she was supposedly standing when the argument escalated instead of lunging for the knife block on the other side of the kitchen.

He added how the bullet casings had been found all around Shildneck's body, meaning Parolisi had to be standing either over her or close to her, and not the four feet or so he had alleged.

Meisner during his closing arguments urged the jury to consider all the facts presented during the trial, including several incidents the defense presented as examples of Shildneck’s alleged aggressive behavior, including a moment in 2014 when Shildneck and Parolisi were in New Jersey for his mother’s wedding and Shildneck was arrested after she had grabbed Parolisi’s mother and thrown her down.

“He’s not guilty because, on May 1, 2020, Amber Shildneck tried to kill him in his own home,” Meisner said, adding that Parolisi had been a victim of domestic abuse.

For subscribers: Midnight heist of rare horse: Minnesota woman's bizarre fight with Florida circus owner

More court coverage: Sarasota County man sentenced to prison for role in 'We Build The Wall' scheme

Meisner told the jury that the lighting was dim in the house, Parolisi had been scared, and he didn't know if Shildneck had a knife as he hadn't checked the knife block to see if they were all there before he stood before her in the entryway and so he fired.

Meisner reminded the jury that Parolisi had told North Port Police Department Sgt. Adam Taylor that "it had been a self-defense situation" and he said Parolisi had every right to be afraid of Shildneck as she had been aggressive in the past.

Assistant State Attorney Karen Fraivillig during her rebuttal before resting the State’s case said that Shildneck was preoccupied with living her new life — she had a new job, a new home, a new loving boyfriend, and that the day she died, she'd had plans with her best friend and boyfriend.

Fraivillig hinted at the fact that it was Parolisi who had created the circumstances that brought Shildneck to his home. Fraivillig said he'd pestered her with texts and wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Hold him accountable for what he did to Amber," Fraivillig concluded.

Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: North Port man convicted, sentenced to life in prison for murder