Jerone Hunter and the 2004 Deltona Massacre
Background
Jerone Hunter was one of four men convicted of murdering six people during a home invasion in Deltona, Florida, on August 6, 2004. The killings became known as the Deltona massacre and were sometimes called the “Xbox murders” because a dispute involving an Xbox video-game system and other personal property contributed to the events preceding the attack. Hunter, who was 18 years old at the time, participated with Troy Victorino, Robert Cannon and Michael Salas.
The victims were killed inside a residence at 3106 Telford Lane. Investigators determined that the attackers entered the home armed with aluminum baseball bats and knives. The six occupants were beaten and stabbed in different rooms of the house. Erin Belanger’s pet dachshund, George, was also deliberately killed during the attack.
Events Leading to the Murders
The conflict began after Troy Victorino and several associates stayed without permission at a vacant Deltona residence owned by Erin Belanger’s grandparents. Belanger had moved from New Hampshire to Florida and was responsible for watching the property. She contacted law enforcement and had Victorino and the other occupants removed from the house.
Some property belonging to Victorino and his associates remained inside after the eviction. The items reportedly included clothing and an Xbox console. Belanger boxed up the belongings, but Victorino became convinced that she and her friends had stolen or withheld his property. He also believed that Belanger had disrespected him by involving the police.
During the days before the massacre, Victorino discussed retaliating against Belanger and the people living with her. The proposed attack was initially described as a plan to severely beat the occupants of the Telford Lane residence. Hunter, Cannon and Salas became involved in the plan. The men collected baseball bats, and knives were also taken to the house.
The group reportedly hoped to confront another man with whom some of them had a grievance. That intended target was not at the residence on the night of the attack. Nevertheless, the four men proceeded with the invasion while six other people were inside.
The Attack on Telford Lane
During the early morning hours of August 6, 2004, Hunter, Victorino, Cannon and Salas entered the Telford Lane home. The occupants had little opportunity to defend themselves. The attackers moved through the residence, striking the victims repeatedly with baseball bats and using knives against several of them.
Evidence and testimony presented in court placed Hunter directly inside the house and attributed several of the killings to him. Jonathan Gleason was attacked while he was near a recliner in the living area. Hunter was identified as the person who stabbed Gleason in the neck.
Tito Gonzalez was struck in the head with a baseball bat and stabbed repeatedly in the chest and abdomen. Testimony at trial attributed those attacks to Hunter. Gonzalez had been spending the night at the residence and became one of the six people killed even though the underlying dispute did not involve him.
Michelle Ann Nathan was in a bedroom with her boyfriend, Anthony Vega, when the invasion began. Nathan attempted to conceal herself in a closet. According to evidence presented during the prosecution, Hunter discovered her hiding place and attacked her with a bat and a knife. Nathan died inside the residence.
Anthony Vega was beaten and suffered fatal injuries to his throat. Francisco “Flaco” Ayo-Roman was also struck repeatedly with a baseball bat. Erin Belanger, the primary target of Victorino’s anger, was severely beaten. Prosecutors presented evidence that Victorino abused Belanger’s body after her death.
The attackers also killed Belanger’s dachshund, George. The dog was found inside the house with the victims. The killing of the animal later resulted in an animal-cruelty conviction against one of the participants.
Victims
- Erin Belanger — Killed on August 6, 2004, at 3106 Telford Lane in Deltona, Florida. Belanger had arranged for Victorino and others to be removed from her grandparents’ vacant property and became the principal target of the retaliatory attack.
- Francisco “Flaco” Ayo-Roman — Killed on August 6, 2004, inside the Telford Lane residence. Ayo-Roman was Belanger’s boyfriend and had worked with several of the victims at a Burger King restaurant.
- Michelle Ann Nathan — Killed on August 6, 2004, inside a bedroom at the Deltona residence. She attempted to hide in a closet during the attack but was discovered and fatally assaulted.
- Anthony Vega — Killed on August 6, 2004, in the Telford Lane home. Vega was Nathan’s boyfriend and had moved into the residence shortly before the murders.
- Jonathan Gleason — Killed on August 6, 2004, near a recliner inside the residence. Evidence presented at trial identified Hunter as the person who stabbed him in the neck.
- Tito Gonzalez — Killed on August 6, 2004, while spending the night at the Telford Lane residence. He was struck in the head and stabbed repeatedly, with the prosecution attributing the fatal assault to Hunter.
Discovery of the Crime
The bodies were discovered later on August 6 after people became concerned about the occupants. The scene was one of the most extensive homicide investigations in Volusia County history. Blood was found throughout several areas of the house, demonstrating that the victims had been attacked in multiple rooms.
Investigators recovered physical evidence connecting the suspects to the murders. Detectives examined bloody footwear, baseball bats, clothing and other objects associated with the group. Witness statements also established that Victorino had been angry about his eviction and the property he claimed had been taken from him.
The suspects attempted to remove or conceal evidence after leaving the house. Their actions resulted in additional allegations involving tampering with physical evidence. Police arrested Victorino, Hunter, Cannon and Salas within days of the massacre.
Hunter’s Statements and Defense
Hunter eventually acknowledged being present during the attack but attempted to place much of the responsibility on Victorino. He portrayed Victorino as the controlling figure who organized the invasion and pressured the others to participate. Hunter’s defense later argued that his youth, psychological problems and fear of Victorino reduced his level of responsibility.
Defense attorneys presented evidence concerning Hunter’s troubled childhood and mental health. They described symptoms of depression and possible psychotic illness. His attorneys argued that these conditions affected his judgment and made him vulnerable to domination by an older and more forceful participant.
Prosecutors maintained that Hunter was not merely a frightened observer. Evidence showed that he entered the house while armed, participated in the coordinated attack and personally inflicted fatal injuries on multiple victims. The state argued that his conduct before, during and after the murders demonstrated intentional participation rather than momentary coercion.
Trial and Convictions
Because of extensive publicity in Volusia County, the joint trial was moved to St. Augustine, Florida. Testimony began in 2006 after nearly two years of preparation. Prosecutors reconstructed the planning of the attack, the movements of the defendants inside the residence and their efforts to conceal evidence afterward.
Hunter was found guilty of six counts of first-degree murder. He was also convicted of armed burglary, conspiracy to commit aggravated battery, tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a dead human body. The first-degree murder convictions made him eligible for the death penalty under Florida law.
Victorino was also convicted of all six murders and related offenses. Salas was convicted and received life sentences. Cannon pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six consecutive terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, along with additional sentences for the associated crimes.
Original Death Sentence
In August 2006, Circuit Judge William A. Parsons sentenced Hunter and Victorino to death. The judge characterized the massacre as calculated, torturous and exceptionally cruel. Hunter became one of the youngest prisoners on Florida’s death row.
Hunter appealed his convictions and sentence. His attorneys raised issues involving his mental health, his trial alongside Victorino and his claim that Victorino had coerced him. The Florida Supreme Court initially upheld Hunter’s convictions and death sentences.
Death Sentence Overturned
Florida’s capital-sentencing system later underwent major constitutional changes. In 2017, Hunter’s original death sentences were overturned because the jury recommendations had not been unanimous. His murder convictions remained intact, but a new penalty proceeding was required to determine whether he would again receive death sentences or be sentenced to life imprisonment.
The resentencing litigation continued for several years. Prosecutors again sought the death penalty, emphasizing Hunter’s active role in the invasion and the number and vulnerability of the victims. Defense attorneys renewed arguments concerning his age at the time of the crime, psychological condition, childhood experiences and alleged domination by Victorino.
2025 Resentencing
After a new penalty proceeding, Hunter was again sentenced to death on November 3, 2025. Victorino was also resentenced to death for his role in the same six murders. The resentencing restored Hunter’s status as a condemned prisoner, although his convictions and sentences remained subject to further appellate review.
Legacy of the Case
The Deltona massacre remains one of the deadliest and most notorious crimes in Volusia County history. The description “Xbox murders” became widely associated with the case, but the killings involved more than a disagreement over a video-game console. Evidence showed a developing campaign of retaliation motivated by anger over an eviction, missing possessions and Victorino’s belief that he had been publicly disrespected.
Hunter’s participation was central to the prosecution’s case. Although he was the youngest of the four defendants and argued that he was mentally ill and influenced by Victorino, the jury concluded that he willingly joined the invasion and directly participated in the lethal violence. Six people who were gathered inside an ordinary residence were killed during a coordinated attack that had been planned in advance.
The case also drew attention to the supervision of violent probationers because Victorino was on probation before the murders. Questions arose about whether he could have been detained following an earlier alleged violation. Florida subsequently strengthened procedures governing certain violent offenders accused of violating probation.
For the victims’ families, the prolonged trials, appeals and resentencing proceedings extended for more than two decades after the August 6, 2004, murders. Erin Belanger, Francisco Ayo-Roman, Michelle Nathan, Anthony Vega, Jonathan Gleason and Tito Gonzalez continue to be remembered as six individuals whose lives were taken during an act of planned retaliation in Deltona.
