State prosecutors have filed a rare, amended charge of third-degree murder against an out-of-state felon who shot and killed his mother in North Fort Myers.
Joseph Delnegro, 49, initially faced charges of second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and theft of a firearm, court records show. His second-degree murder charge was amended to third-degree murder with a firearm.
Second-degree murder involves reckless disregard for life, while third-degree murder is described as killing without intent during the commission of a felony. Reports indicate Del Negro, a convicted felon, was in possession of a firearm that did not belong to him.
In Florida, third-degree murder is distinct from manslaughter, although both are second-degree felonies. Manslaughter is a killing caused by negligence.
State prosecutors formally filed charges in the case on Feb. 19, records show.
Court documents identify the victim as Del Negro’s mother, but her full name remains withheld.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, on January 21, deputies responded to a shooting at a home on Delft Avenue in North Fort Myers.
The Sheriff’s Office said the investigation revealed Del Negro was a convicted felon from Colorado who had not restored his legal rights to own a firearm. Authorities said the gun he used was stolen.
A redacted report said a 911 caller reported his wife had been shot while their son was playing with a gun.
In the background of the 911 call, a man screamed, “Mom!” followed by, “She’s not breathing,” authorities said. The woman died at her home.
Authorities say 49-year-old Joseph Delnegro, a convicted felon out of state, faces a second-degree murder charge in the fatal shooting that occurred on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
Authorities spoke with Del Negro as he was holding a child in the driveway. Del Negro told them he accidentally shot his mother and that he “shouldn’t have a gun.”
Sheriff’s deputies later found a handgun in a drawer in Del Negro’s bedroom, the report said.
Del Negro told authorities that about a month before the shooting, he found a handgun in the bathroom of a Pine Island bar “but wasn’t sure what the bar was called.”
Del Negro took the weapon but made no attempt to find the owner or provide it to bar staff, the report states.
On Jan. 21, after eating dinner, Del Negro told sheriff’s deputies that he went to his bedroom to put away the laundry. During that time, he said, he took the handgun out of a drawer and placed it on the dresser.
North Fort Myers felon says what happened next?
After Del Negro put the clothes in the dresser, “the gun went off and he went to put the gun back,” the report states.
Del Negro told sheriff’s officials he then heard his mother scream and ran to find her suffering from a gunshot wound.
His next court hearing will be a case management conference on April 27.
Tomas Rodriguez is a breaking/live news reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can contact Tomas at TRodriguez@usatodayco.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
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This article originally appeared in the Fort Myers News-Press: North Fort Myers man charged with murder in mother’s death