2 men convicted in Deltona ‘Xbox murders’ sentenced to death

2 men convicted of "Xbox Murders" sentenced to death

Jerone Hunter and Troy Victorino were sentenced to death for the second time in Florida court, after a previous death sentencing was overturned. On Nov. 3, a judged sentenced the two men to death for the murder of Erin Belanger, 22; Jonathan Gleason, 17; Roberto Gonzalez, 28; Francisco Roman, 30; Michelle Nathan, 19; and Anthony Vega, 34, who were killed in an attack in Deltona known as the "Xbox Murders"

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - Two men convicted of killing six people in a Deltona home invasion in 2004 have been sentenced to death for a second time. 

What we know:

Jerone Hunter and Troy Victorino appeared before a judge Monday for their resentencing hearing. Both men were convicted in what became known as the "Xbox murders," the deadliest mass murder in Volusia County history. Both were sentenced to death in the 2004 murders, but both sentences were later thrown out. 

However, at a new resentencing trial earlier this year, a jury recommended death sentences for both men. On Monday, the judge agreed with the jury's recommendation. 

The ‘Xbox Murders’ timeline

The backstory:

Hunter and Victorino, along with two other men, were accused of beating six people to death with baseball bats inside a Deltona home in August 2024. The case became known as the "Xbox murders" after prosecutors alleged that one of the motives behind the attack was a dispute over an Xbox believed to have been stolen. 

Erin Belanger, 22; Jonathan Gleason, 17; Roberto Gonzalez, 28; Francisco Roman, 30; Michelle Nathan, 19; and Anthony Vega, 34 were killed in the attack. 

In 2006, Hunter and Victorino were both sentenced to death in the 2004 murders. Michael Salas and Robert Cannon, the other two men involved in the home invasion, were sentenced to life in prison. 

Both Hunter and Victorino’s death sentences were thrown out in 2017 after a Florida court ruled a death penalty recommendation from a jury had to be unanimous. 

A resentencing trial began in 2023, but state law around death penalty recommendations changed during the trial, and the judge declared a mistrial.

Earlier this year, a new jury recommended that both men be given the death penalty.