VIERA, Fla. – Accepting a plea Wednesday, 64-year-old Anthony Cannone pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing his roommate in a dispute over bad hygiene and other living habits.
On Jan. 25, 2017, prosecutors said Cannone attacked Charles Burke in the middle of the night while Burke was sleeping.
Prosecutors said Cannone stabbed Burke multiple times in his chest and face in the Rutgers Avenue house they were living in together.
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After the stabbing, Cannone called 911 and admitted to the operator what just happened.
"I just killed somebody," Cannone said.
Burke died a week later.
Cannone's attempted murder charges were then enhanced to second-degree murder, with a maximum penalty of life in prison, before the plea agreement was reached.
There will be no trial.
"I believe it's in my best interests, Your Honor," Cannone said Wednesday in court.
Cannone's attorney said avoiding trial was in the best interests of both sides because Cannone has mental health issues.
"He has had a significant mental health history, which played a large role, I think, in the negotiation with the State Attorney's Office," Jessica Hicks, with the public defender's office, said.
Cannone will get credit toward his sentence for the two years he's already spent behind bars.