Six people found dead in Deltona, Floriduh home

[bousozoku]

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The bodies of six young adults were discovered in a Deltona house this morning, apparently victims of a brutal overnight slaughter, and authorities said their killer most likely knew them and is probably at large.

Officials said the victims ranged in age from 18 to the mid-30s, and said police technicians would have to use fingerprints and dental records to confirm each identity. The bodies were removed from the home just at 7 tonight.

A dog was also found dead in the home, which is about 25 miles north of Orlando.

By Friday evening, officials had tentatively identified one victim through tattoos, but did not release the name. Autopsies were planned for Saturday and Sunday.

"We've never seen anything like this," Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson said this afternoon. "There was a lot of trauma, a lot of blood splatter, just a very, very brutal crime."

Johnson said the victims did not appear to have been family members and had not been living at the house long. Authorities said the bodies were found in different rooms of the three-bedroom home, and there were signs of a struggle.

"I don't believe this was a random act by any means. I strongly believe these people knew who their assailants were," Johnson said, adding that it was "very, very possible" that more than one person was involved.

Sheriff Johnson did not divulge how the victims died or offer a possible motive for the slayings. They have identified subjects of interest to talk to, Johnson said.

"It appears that we have a murderer on the loose, but it's early in the investigation," Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.

The victims apparently worked at an area Burger King, and their bodies were discovered after one of them failed to show up for work this morning. A co-worker called a friend and asked the person to visit the home, officials said.

Aerial footage of the house showed a team of investigators donning white protective suits in the front yard. A blue Pontiac was towed from the driveway. Yellow police tape cordoned off the perimeter of the property.

Police also cordoned off a second home in the area which Johnson called a "house of interest."

"Possibly some of the people who lived in that house may have moved into this house," where the bodies were found, Johnson said.

Deputies had recently been dispatched to that house for disturbance calls that included fighting, trespassing and tire-slashing, Johnson said.

A man at crime scene who identified himself as Steve Nathan said his daughter, Michelle Ann Nathan, 19, was one of the victims. He said she moved into the house three months ago, and that she and the other housemates worked at Burger King.

Nathan said his daughter's boyfriend also was living there and had moved in two weeks ago.

"She was a fun-loving kid," said Nathan. "She liked her car; she liked boys. She had just gotten a used Camaro, and she was really excited about her car."

Michelle was stationed in Missouri with the army, Nathan said, and was discharged recently because of medical trauma.

Reporters went to the Burger King earlier today and saw employees sitting at tables with the doors locked.

Burger King, in a statement, said "the victims of the tragedy are employees" of a Deltona franchise, and said the franchisee was working with local officials and the corporation during the investigation. A company spokeswoman would not clarify whether all the victims worked for Burger King. The franchisee did not return calls for comment.

The restaurant, about two miles from the house, posted a sign that read, "Sorry temporarily closed. Sorry for the inconvenience." Don Ramdeen, the restaurant's operations director, said the business was bringing in professional counselors for its workers.

The house is located in a tidy, residential area of middle-class homes. Neighbors stood on corners talking, while children rode through the area on bicycles. County tax records show that the home is owned by a Brooklyn, N.Y., man.

Chaplains from the sheriff's office consoled victims' relatives, who were kept away from the media and other crowds gathered in the area.

Rocky Gonzalez, 22, rushed to the scene because he was concerned that one of his friends may have been a victim. Gonzalez said his friend had told him Thursday night that he was planning to stay at the house with someone who worked at Burger King.

A neighbor of the victims, India Harris, said she was visited by two investigators at 7 a.m., waking up her brother and cousin. Harris, 17, estimated four people lived in the house, but only knew the neighbors to say hello.

Harris said the investigators asked her whether she knew any of the neighbors and whether she saw any strange cars passing through the neighborhood.

"They kept asking us, 'Did we know any of them?"' Harris said in a telephone interview. Harris said she did not know the names of the people who lived there.

[Counterfit]

:(
There are some sick people in this world...

[wrldwzrd89]

That's awful news. I wonder if the detectives figured out what the killer's motives were - that may help police identify the criminal.

[acceber]

:(

I can just imagine if six people I know all suddenly died at once by a vicious attack. Extremely sad account. :(

[Mr. Anderson]

Curious that they're not releasing info on what happened. And killing the dog just makes it even worse. I hope they find who ever did this before they get a chance to do it again.

Do they have the death penalty in Florida? Not that I'm for it, just that this would be the most likely result for the individuals involved here.

D

[bousozoku]

Curious that they're not releasing info on what happened. And killing the dog just makes it even worse. I hope they find who ever did this before they get a chance to do it again.

Do they have the death penalty in Florida? Not that I'm for it, just that this would be the most likely result for the individuals involved here.

D

There is a death penalty here but you can only kill the murderers once. :(

Here's another article on the story:

DELTONA -- Blood-spatter experts from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) on Saturday began examining the house where six bodies were discovered. The crime is one of the worst mass murders in the state's history.

The bodies of the victims, four men and two women ages 18 to mid-30s, were removed from the house late Friday. Autopsies for three of the victims are planned for today, with the other three set for Sunday. A dog also was found dead in the house; officials said they will conduct a necropsy.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office enlisted the help of FDLE because of the sheer complexity of the crime scene. A total of nine crime-scene investigators were working inside the house Saturday morning, including two blood-spatter experts from FDLE.

Sheriff Ben Johnson said that the level of violence evident in the home was extreme.

Investigators still have not released the identities of any of the victims. The Sheriff's Office has "people of interest" in the case but no suspects.

Several of the victims lived in the rented home on Telford Lane, in a quiet, working-class neighborhood. Five of the victims also worked in a nearby Burger King. The bodies were discovered Friday morning after one of the victims didn't show up for work.

On Saturday, the Burger King at Elkcam Boulevard and Lake Helen-Osteen Road remained closed. The company said it will reopen Monday.

[King Cobra]

Too many murder stories... kinda gives the Current Events section a depressing feel. Something like "Criminal injured from being biten in the balls by victim's dog" or "Criminal hires plumber that screws up the toilets, forcing the criminal to use someone else's bathroom and gets caught" would be better.

[wdlove]

There are hardly words to express feelings on such an expression of evil. It will be interesting to hear further details on this crime. Almost sounds like kind of a Charles Manson type scene.

My prayers go out to the family and friends of these six victims. It is must be terrible for them. May the victims rest in peace.

Hopefully the police can make a quick arrest before they have a chance to do this again.

[bousozoku]

Too many murder stories... kinda gives the Current Events section a depressing feel. Something like "Criminal injured from being biten in the balls by victim's dog" or "Criminal hires plumber that screws up the toilets, forcing the criminal to use someone else's bathroom and gets caught" would be better.

Yeah, the criminal gets it in the end. Unfortunately, Central Floriduh is a magnet for unusual crimes. The stories are numerous. I wouldn't say that it's a dangerous area at all but there are some odd people. <raises hand> :D I believe that Floriduh still has no extradition agreement with another state, so you cannot be pulled from this state legally, if you've committed a crime elsewhere.

[bousozoku]

DELTONA -- Deputies arrested four people overnight on charges related to the brutal slayings of six people in a rented home, sources said early Sunday.

Bill Belanger, whose 22-year-old daughter Erin is believed to be among the victims, said deputies called him in Nashua, N.H., at 6:30 a.m. Sunday to inform him that they had arrested four men, three of whom have confessed to involvement with the crime.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office released a statement saying it planned a 9 a.m. news conference to announce the four arrests but would give no other details.

On Saturday, sheriff's officials identified five of the victims found slain Friday morning in a rented home in a quiet Deltona neighborhood. They are: Anthony Vega, 34; Roberto "Tito" Gonzalez, 28, of New York; Francisco Ayo Roman, 30; Michelle Nathan, 19; and Jonathan Gleason, 18.

Erin Belanger has not been positively identified because her body was so badly disfigured, her father said.

Autopsies were performed on all six victims Saturday but no results were announced.

[letterbox]

DELTONA, Florida (CNN) -- Authorities in Deltona, Florida, have arrested and charged four people in the killings of six people in a rental home, Volusia County's sheriff said Sunday.

Sheriff Ben Johnson said the murder was organized by a man who was angry because he believed his Xbox video game system and some clothes had been stolen.

Alleged ringleader Troy Victorino, 27, has not confessed, but three teenagers Johnson said Victorino recruited to assist him have, Johnson said. The three were identified as Robert Cannon, 18; Jerone Hunter, 18; and Michael Salas, 18.

All are charged with first degree murder and armed burglary.

The Associated Press reported that Victorino has a criminal record.

The four killers, armed with aluminum baseball bats, forced their way into the home where the victims were in beds early Friday morning, and beat them to death -- just as Victorino planned, Johnson said.

The victims had no chance to arm themselves or fight back, he said. "There was no way they could really defend themselves."

All of the victims experienced severe trauma -- and one body was so badly mangled that it has not yet been officially identified, he said.

"This is the worst thing I've ever seen in my career," Johnson said.

Authorities have released the names of two of the victims -- Michelle Nathan, 19, and Jonathan Gleason, 18, both of Deltona.

Investigators believe the attack occurred about 1 a.m. Friday. The bodies were found Friday morning about 6:30 a.m. when a co-worker, alarmed because one of the people failed to show up for work, went to the home and found the blood-spattered crime scene.

Victorino and Hunter were taken in for questioning on Sunday. Hunter confessed, and led authorities to Cannon and Salas, said Johnson.

Johnson said he does not believe any other people were involved in the incident.

Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

[wdlove]

It is encouraging to hear of such quick police work. They should all plead guilty and save the families all the agony. Though they certainly didn't act like men during the murder. I pray that he victims never knew what hit them or they were gone quickly. Such a tragic evil act. Just can't imagine all this over an x-Box. :(

[bousozoku]

Unfortunately, there was another attack in the same town at the Winn-Dixie grocery store. Three people were hurt, but I haven't heard any more yet.

[Brother Michael]

My God that's terrible! I hope that the families can get some sort of comfort now, knowing that those responsible are in custody and will get what they have coming to them.

Mike

[wdlove]

Unfortunately, there was another attack in the same town at the Winn-Dixie grocery store. Three people were hurt, but I haven't heard any more yet.

Did this happen before or after the arrest of the four men mentioned above? This just brings more unneeded misery. Hopefully everyone will get the counseling that they need. All that I can do is send prayers. :(

[bousozoku]

Did this happen before or after the arrest of the four men mentioned above? This just brings more unneeded misery. Hopefully everyone will get the counseling that they need. All that I can do is send prayers. :(

My understanding is that the second incident happened after the arrest of the four.


The second incident occurred Saturday morning before the store opened. They entered through the rear of the store.

[cr2sh]

That story is quite disturbing.

For someone to take an aluminum baseball bat into a house intending to beat another person to death with it... I just can't understand it. I mean you KNOW you're going to kill the person.. you KNOW you're going to jail... your life will be over. Why do it?

[Elan0204]

Really the worst part of this whole story is that these six people lost their lives because the killer thought they stole his Xbox. That a $149 Microsoft product can be worth six lives is totally messed up.

[bousozoku]

Well, the clothes too. How much are AnF or Hilfiger or Nautica or Phat Farm or Sean John clothes really worth?

[wdlove]

Well, the clothes too. How much are AnF or Hilfiger or Nautica or Phat Farm or Sean John clothes really worth?

There is nothing listed that is worth the loss of a human life. The real punishment that these individuals receive won't really occur until after their death. There is no real adequate punishment for them here on Earth.

[cr2sh]

There is nothing listed that is worth the loss of a human life. The real punishment that these individuals receive won't really occur until after their death. There is no real adequate punishment for them here on Earth.

Well, I'm guessing that whole death thing will be coming sooner rather than later. This level of brutality and apathy for human life gets you to the three legged chair (http://www.dc.state.fl.us/secretary/press/1999/elechair.html) real quick.

Holy ****! While you're there, check out the death row roster... with pictures of the convicts and everything...

http://www.dc.state.fl.us/activeinmates/deathrowroster.asp

[yellow]

Do they have the death penalty in Florida?

Oh yes.. 'member Ted Bundy? But that was a long time ago (1989?). But there's also a Bush in power in Florida..

[ewinemiller]

Really the worst part of this whole story is that these six people lost their lives because the killer thought they stole his Xbox. That a $149 Microsoft product can be worth six lives is totally messed up.

I live about 10 miles from where this happened and though the national media seems to be playing up the Xbox and clothes thing, it doesn't appear to be that at all. The killers were squatting in a house owned by one of the victim's grandmother. She called the cops and got them evicted. The general consenses locally is that is what motivated the killings. It wouldn't motivate a normal person, but from the ringleader's history, there seems to be a lot of bad DNA there.

[wdlove]

I live about 10 miles from where this happened and though the national media seems to be playing up the Xbox and clothes thing, it doesn't appear to be that at all. The killers were squatting in a house owned by one of the victim's grandmother. She called the cops and got them evicted. The general consensus locally is that is what motivated the killings. It wouldn't motivate a normal person, but from the ringleader's history, there seems to be a lot of bad DNA there.

That is still no reason for such useless brutality. If there was an aggressive criminal history then he should have either been in a mental institution or prison. There needs to be a return to toughness in these type of cases.

[U2Rules!]

I'd say a mandatory death penalty needs to be put in place for anyone who commits a violent crime. End of story.

[bousozoku]

Here is a new article from the Orlando Sentinel:

DELTONA -- A veteran probation officer and three of his supervisors were fired Monday as a result of a massive failure of the state corrections system that missed several opportunities to put behind bars the suspected ringleader of one of Florida's most gruesome mass killings.

Troy Victorino, a 27-year-old felon with a long and violent criminal history, met with his probation officer Thursday, just hours before investigators say he and three 18-year-old friends used aluminum baseball bats to bludgeon to death six people in a Deltona home Friday in retaliation for taking his Xbox video-game player.

The officer failed to arrest Victorino at the meeting even though he had been in court a week earlier on a felony battery charge, accused of beating up a friend. The probation officer then failed to submit documents within the required 48 hours of learning of the arrest that could have sent Victorino back to prison.

According to Florida Department of Corrections procedures, Officer Richard Burrow could have arrested Victorino without a warrant when the two met for Victorino's routine monthly check in Thursday. Instead, Burrow let Victorino go free.

"They knew he had been arrested five days earlier," said department Secretary James Crosby Jr. "He was actually in the probation office. At that point, they could have called law enforcement and told them to come arrest him."

Asked why they didn't, Crosby said, "We didn't get a good answer to that."

Burrow, a 21-year veteran who made $46,000 per year and specialized in violent offenders, lives less than one mile from the scene of the crime. He could not be reached for comment Monday. Corrections spokesman Sterling Ivey identified the other fired employees as correctional supervisor Paul Hayes, a 22-year veteran; Robert "Bob" Gordon, a circuit administrator in northeast Florida; and Joe Hatem, a state regional probation director for an area stretching from Daytona Beach to the Panhandle.

Another missed opportunity came July 30, one week before the slayings, when a Volusia County judge set Victorino's bail on the battery charge at $2,500 despite Victorino's history of having beaten another friend in 1996 so badly that his face had to be reconstructed. Victorino posted bond and was released the next day.

Bill Belanger, whose 22-year-old daughter Erin on Monday was the last victim to be positively identified, said he was appalled that Victorino slipped by so many officials.

"Animals like him are stealing our children," Belanger said. "They knew what kind of monster he was and did nothing."

As word of the department's failures reached families of the six victims, their reactions were swift.

"I cannot believe that stuff like this slips through people's fingers," said Kay Shukwit, mother of victim Michelle Ann Nathan, 19. "I think my 8-year-old son could have done a better job."

Victorino was back in court Monday, his second appearance there in 10 days. In a four-minute hearing, he whispered answers to Judge Mary Jane Henderson.

The three other suspects -- Jerone Hunter, Robert Cannon and Michael Salas -- stood silently in the courtroom. Investigators say they have each confessed but that Victorino has not. All four were denied bail because they are accused of first-degree murder, punishable by death.

Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said Monday night that Victorino was moved to the Seminole County Jail earlier in the afternoon at the request of the State Attorney's Office.

Dan Washington, who identified himself as Jerone Hunter's stepfather, attended the hearing and said afterward that he and Hunter's mother "did not raise him like this. He was raised in the church."

Washington said Monday was the first time he had seen Victorino. Washington said he was sorry for what happened and expressed concern and condolences for the families of the victims.

"I still love him," Washington said of Hunter. "My prayers go out to the victims' families. My wife feels the same way."

Court records do not show any prior arrests for Hunter or Cannon as adults. Records do show that Salas had two convictions this year. In a misdemeanor case, he pleaded no contest to resisting arrest without violence, and he was sentenced to a few days in prison. Salas was later sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to one felony count of resisting an officer with violence.

The four men are accused of kicking down the door of a house on Telford Lane and killing all its inhabitants -- including a small dog named George -- to get revenge on one of the residents who had taken Victorino's Xbox and some clothing. That resident was Belanger, who had discovered that several people had been staying in her grandparents' Deltona house, which was supposed to be vacant while the older couple were away. The group had been let in the house by another relative who had access to it, several family members said.

Belanger called the police when she discovered the house in a shambles. While cleaning up, Belanger boxed up an Xbox video-game system and clothes. They belonged to Victorino, who was in jail at the time so he could not claim them.

On July 31, when Victorino was released from jail, a group of people began harassing Belanger and her roommates, according to Belanger's family. She told family members that someone threatened to kill her.

911 call

Belanger and her friends' bodies were discovered when a Longwood painter whose girlfriend worked with most of the victims at a nearby Burger King called deputies early Friday. Three of the six victims didn't show up for work, and the girlfriend couldn't get the grill started without them, according to a 911 tape released by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. The unidentified man, who said two of the victims were supposed to go to Tampa with him for a painting job, told police that the door was kicked in and, when he went inside, he saw blood all over.

"I think it's a murder," the man calmly told a dispatcher when asked why he had dialed 911. "The door's kicked in, and I see blood all over."

He said one room appeared to have been ransacked, a mattress was upended, and there was blood all over the sheets.

"They may be passed out . . .," he said, telling the dispatcher that he had called the home about 10 p.m. Thursday and heard music, maybe even a party, in the background. "Hope everything is OK and I'm not panicking for no reason."

He told the dispatcher that bodies were all over the house. In detail he said one person was lying by a door in the back, one was in a bedroom, one in a chair and one in a hallway by the living room.

A couple of lights were on and music was playing, he said.

According to police, when the four suspects entered the house, they targeted Belanger, beating her so badly that a forensic dental expert had to be called to identify her.

The other victims were Erin's boyfriend, Francisco "Flaco" Ayo Roman, 30; Nathan's boyfriend, Anthony Vega, 34; Jonathan Gleason, 17; and Roberto "Tito" Gonzalez, 28. Roman and Vega lived at the house with their girlfriends. Gleason and Gonzalez were visiting.

Common problem

State Attorney John Tanner said Victorino's release on bail despite his violent history represents an all-too-common problem. He said legislators need to change weak laws that allowed a convicted felon with a history of violence to be released on bail after a new arrest. Tanner wants the law changed to require judges to hold defendants in cases such as this in jail until the sentencing judge from a defendant's most recent felony conviction can review the case.

Had that been a requirement in Victorino's case, Tanner said, "He would have been behind bars when the murders were committed."

"I know there was a gap in the law," said Tanner, adding that Volusia County Court Judge Freddie J. Worthen, who presided over the July 30 hearing, did not do anything wrong. Victorino's arrest constituted a probation violation, but Worthen and part-time prosecutor Reginald E. Moore didn't know that. The probation department had not notified anyone.

Worthen on Monday said he could not recall whether he was aware of Victorino's criminal history when he set bail at $2,500.

"If I had that information, I probably would have raised the bond," Worthen said.

The way the system is supposed to work, he said, is that he asks whether the defendant before him has had any prior convictions. Court officials then let him know, and he bases the bail amount on that information. Officials in charge of informing judges about defendants' histories could not be immediately reached Monday.

According to an audiotape of the proceeding, Worthen told Moore that a "chipped tooth" suffered by the victim in the July 28 attack did not constitute a felony aggravated battery, as charged by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, and ordered Victorino held on a "misdemeanor bond" rather than the $5,000 bail prosecutors wanted.

At the home of suspect Cannon's family, in an upscale neighborhood in Deltona, a note taped to the door Monday expressed sorrow about what happened.

The note expressed grief for the victims, the victims' families and their son.

Across town at fellow suspect Salas' home on a cul de sac on Evard Court, neighbors said the quiet youth lived there with his grandmother for about four or five years. Neighbor Ed Paige said Salas always seemed to be "a good kid."

"We never had a problem with him, and we never would have thought he'd be involved in something like this."

[ewinemiller]

That is still no reason for such useless brutality. If there was an aggressive criminal history then he should have either been in a mental institution or prison. There needs to be a return to toughness in these type of cases.

I was not trying to imply it was an excuse, just that warning signs were already there that he would be a really big problem someday. I suspect that the police dept will have lots of answering to do. They just let this guy out on bail for a parol violation, which was against policy and he was on parol for beating someone else with a walking stick so bad the guy had to have reconstructive surgery done on his face.

I certainly agree about the return to a level of toughness. If you brutally beat 6 people to death with a baseball bat, or help someone else do it, there is no amount of rehabilitation that can convince me that person should ever see the light of day, and since you're never getting out, really what's the point of keeping you around.

[MorganX]

I'd say a mandatory death penalty needs to be put in place for anyone who commits a violent crime. End of story.

This crime makes me wonder if death is too good. All the murders are terrible and unfortunate, but for four baseball-bat wielding healthy, life-lazy men to beat a couple of helpless young girls beyond recognition, death is not enough.

I mean a hard, hard, prison for life. Death is too generous, unless you kill them in the same manner in which they killed those kids.

[bousozoku]

This crime makes me wonder if death is too good. All the murders are terrible and unfortunate, but for four baseball-bat wielding healthy, life-lazy men to beat a couple of helpless young girls beyond recognition, death is not enough.

I mean a hard, hard, prison for life. Death is too generous, unless you kill them in the same manner in which they killed those kids.

As I've said in the past, you can only kill the murderers so many times. :(

[chanoc]

Although I am against the death penalty, this bastard has DESERVES a hangin'- preferably by its balls and throat slashed to bleed to death! :mad:

I cannot express how sad this makes me feel, as there are some sick people in this country, USA. :(