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· collected 2026-09-05 · by TOI World Desk
A Florida woman named Melissa Payne shot and killed 62-year-old Army veteran Bart Diguglielmo over a dispute in a Walmart parking space on June 30. Prosecutors found that Payne's use of deadly force was protected under the state's Stand Your Ground law, as they could not disprove her claim of self-defense by "clear and convincing evidence". The decision not to charge Payne comes after prosecutors reviewed security footage, cellphone video, and police body-camera recordings. According to prosecutors, the video shows Diguglielmo repeatedly approaching Payne and circling her vehicle during the argument.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A Florida woman, Melissa Payne, will not face charges for fatally shooting 62-year-old Army veteran Bart Diguglielmo in a dispute over a Walmart parking space in North Lauderdale, Florida on June 30th. The shooting occurred when Diguglielmo, who was unarmed, repeatedly approached Payne's vehicle and circled around it during an argument over the parking space. Prosecutors reviewed security footage, cellphone video, and police body-camera recordings before concluding that Payne's use of deadly force could not be disproved as self-defense under Florida law, thanks to the state's Stand Your Ground law. Under this law, a person can use deadly force if they reasonably believe they face an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm, and prosecutors must prove otherwise by "clear and convincing evidence".
Written for “Florida Stand Your Ground Case” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but none of the 1 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 4800: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-05
A Florida woman who fatally shot a 62-year-old Army veteran during a dispute over a Walmart parking space will not be charged after prosecutors determined she was protected by the state’s Stand Your Ground law.
asserted
she → shoot → law
Melissa Payne shot Bart Diguglielmo in the abdomen during the June 30 confrontation in North Lauderdale, according to the Broward County State Attorney’s Office.
uncertain
Payne → shoot → Office
Prosecutors said they reviewed security footage, cellphone video and police body-camera recordings before concluding that Payne’s use of deadly force could not be disproved as self-defence under Florida law.
uncertain
use → say → law
According to the State Attorney’s Office, video showed Diguglielmo repeatedly approaching Payne and circling her vehicle during the argument.
uncertain
Diguglielmo → accord → argument
The dispute began after both claimed the same parking space.
asserted
both → begin → space
Under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, a person does not have to retreat before using deadly force if they reasonably believe they face an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm, according to the state statute.
uncertain
they → stand → statute
A 2017 amendment requires prosecutors to establish by “clear and convincing evidence” that the use of force was not legally justified.
asserted
use → require → force
Assistant State Attorney Stephen Zaccor said prosecutors could not meet that standard in Payne’s case.
uncertain
prosecutors → say → case
“The video does not demonstrate that [Payne] was in the right, rather it demonstrates that the State of Florida cannot overcome her claim that she was in reasonable fear of great bodily harm by clear and convincing evidence,” Zaccor wrote in a case-closing memo.
uncertain
Zaccor → demonstrate → memo
Payne told police that Diguglielmo had threatened to damage her vehicle and continued approaching her despite being told to back away, according to audio recorded by an officer’s body camera.
uncertain
Diguglielmo → tell → camera
“He’s made several threats about doing something to my vehicle,” Payne said, according to the recording.
uncertain
Payne → make → recording
She also said she had driven around the parking lot and repeatedly asked Diguglielmo to back up before firing.
asserted
she → say → Diguglielmo
Payne was arrested after the shooting, placed in handcuffs and later released, according to the case records.
uncertain
Payne → arrest → records
The decision has drawn criticism from Diguglielmo’s family.
asserted
decision → draw → family
Melissa Rodriguez, an attorney representing his daughter, Amanda, told NBC 6 South Florida that the family was disappointed Payne would not face charges.
asserted
Payne → represent → charges
Rodriguez said references to possible damage to a vehicle or other property did not establish reasonable grounds for using deadly force.
asserted
references → say → force
