Troy Victorino, Jerone Hunter originally sentenced to death

A resentencing trial for two men convicted in a gruesome murder in Deltona nearly 20 years ago is scheduled to begin this week.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A resentencing trial is beginning Tuesday morning for two men convicted in a gruesome murder in Deltona nearly 20 years ago.

A jury was seated last week and resentencing proceedings are expected to begin at 8:30 a.m. for Troy Victorino and Jerone Hunter, two of four suspects who beat six people and a dog to death inside a home in August 2004.

Victorino and Hunter were originally sentenced to death, but the sentences were later overturned because the jury’s decision wasn’t unanimous.

However, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill eliminating a requirement for unanimous jury recommendations before judges can impose death sentences. The new law took effect immediately and represents a major change in Florida’s death-penalty system.

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The victims, all friends, died from blunt force trauma to their heads after being hit several times, a medical examiner said. Their bodies were also cut and stabbed, according to authorities.

The crime became known as the Xbox murders because the accused mastermind, Victorino, had gone to the house to get his XBox and other items after he was caught squatting in the home.

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About the Author:

Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She graduated from UCF and returned to Central Florida after working in Colorado.