Anthony Vega, a 34-year-old male, was among six victims brutally murdered on August 6, 2004, during what has come to be known as the “Deltona massacre” or the “Xbox murders.” He was described as a painter and construction worker who had relocated from The Bronx, New York, to Deltona, Florida, and had moved into the Telford Lane residence just two weeks prior to the tragic attack.
Anthony Vega, a 34-year-old male of likely Hispanic ethnicity, was killed in the master bedroom of the home, bludgeoned and stabbed in the throat by Troy Victorino in front of his girlfriend, Michelle Ann Nathan. Michelle, a 19-year-old female, was also ultimately found dead after hiding in a closet. The victim’s age, gender, and ethnicity are mentioned wherever available throughout this account to maintain clarity.
On that fateful early morning of August 6, 2004, four men forcibly entered the three-bedroom home on Telford Lane in Deltona. These assailants—Troy Victorino, Jerone Hunter, Michael Salas, and Robert Cannon—carried aluminum baseball bats and knives. Once inside, they moved through the home, bludgeoning and stabbing six individuals, including Anthony Vega. The violence was extreme: all victims, including the 34-year-old male Anthony Vega, sustained fatal blunt-force trauma to the head, and several suffered post-mortem stab wounds. Additionally, Belanger’s pet dachshund was intentionally stomped to death.
Investigators later determined that the motive was twofold: revenge and retrieval of property. The ringleader, Troy Victorino, had been squatting in a house owned by the family of Erin Belanger, a 22-year-old female victim. She had that group evicted, packing their belongings—including an Xbox video game system—that Victorino believed belonged to him. In retaliation, Victorino orchestrated the invasion of the home where Erin and her friends, including Anthony Vega were residing. The attack also handled multiple turf issues, but retrieving the Xbox and clothes was central to the perpetrators’ planning.
Law enforcement responded after a coworker, Christopher Carroll, arrived the morning of August 6, 2004, to pick up residents of the house and discovered the horrendous scene. He called 911, at which point deputies arrived to find six slain individuals—among them, Anthony Vega, male, 34—along with a sacrificed pet, and a scene steeped in violence and gore. Autopsies confirmed that all six victims had died from blunt-force head injuries, with some also having been stabbed after death.
All four suspects were apprehended and ultimately tried. Robert Cannon pled guilty and received multiple life sentences without parole. Michael Salas was also convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Troy Victorino and Jerone Hunter were convicted of first-degree murder and related charges, and in 2006, juries recommended the death penalty for both. However, those sentences were later overturned due to procedural rulings requiring unanimous jury decisions in capital cases. In recent resentencing proceedings under updated law, juries again recommended death for both—though not unanimously in all counts—highlighting how Anthony Vega was one of the key victims considered during those hearings.
The cruel and deliberate nature of the blows delivered to Anthony Vega, the stabbing of his throat, and the presence of his girlfriend hiding nearby, all underscore the brutality and chilling intent behind the crime. The ensuing legal saga—guilty pleas, capital sentencing, overturned penalties, and renewed sentencing hearings—speaks to the severity and lasting legal impact of this case.
