Troy Victorino and Jerone Hunter, convicted in the deadliest mass murder in Volusia County history, were once again sentenced to death during a hearing on Monday. The decision by the Honorable Dawn Nichols follows a recent jury recommendation for the death penalty on all counts for both men.
Victorino, now 48, and Hunter, 39, were responsible for the brutal 2004 home invasion in Deltona, where they, along with two co-defendants, stabbed and beat six people and a dog to death with baseball bats. The defendants were initially convicted and sentenced to death in 2006.
The path to Monday’s sentencing has been lengthy and complex. While Victorino and Hunter’s murder convictions stood, their original death sentences were nullified in 2018 after Florida courts began requiring a unanimous jury recommendation in capital cases. Their initial sentences were not based on a unanimous jury. The two co-defendants, Michael Salas and Robert Cannon, are serving life in prison.
The resentencing process for Victorino and Hunter was further complicated in April 2023. A jury was seated, but on the same day, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new bill into law that authorized a non-unanimous 8-4 sentencing standard in capital cases. This new legislation caused a mistrial.
A new jury was subsequently seated in April and proceeded under the new 8-4 non-unanimous law, ultimately voting in favor of the death penalty on all counts for both Victorino and Hunter.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza acknowledged the extended legal process, stating, “It is a sad reality that death penalty cases drag on for decades. The families of our six victims have suffered over and over again due to numerous appeals requiring new court proceedings.”
Larizza expressed hope for a swifter conclusion, adding, “Perhaps now the defendants’ death warrants will be signed and carried out expeditiously.”
Assistant State Attorneys Heatha Trigones and Andrew Urbanak successfully argued for the death penalty on behalf of the state in the resentencing trial presided over by Judge Nichols.
READ: Florida Supreme Court Affirms Death Sentence For 1979 Child Killer, Execution Date Nov. 13
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