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Grisly slayings described

A trial begins for three men accused of killing six people over an Xbox.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published July 13, 2006

ST. AUGUSTINE - A prosecutor described the grisly clubbing and stabbing murders of six young people in a Deltona home as the first-degree murder trial of three men began Wednesday.

State Attorney John Tanner began opening statements by slowly reading the names of the victims of the Aug. 6, 2004, slayings. He described the crime scene for the jury of seven women and five men.

"The girls are screaming, the solid, sickening sound of bats on flesh and bone. You hear the screams of the dog being smashed in the face. It will come alive for you in this trial," Tanner said. "This trial is their story and the search for the truth."

Troy Victorino, 29, a former prison inmate, is accused of arranging the attacks out of anger over the loss of a video game system. He, Michael Salas, 20, and Jerone Hunter, 20, all face six counts of first-degree murder, five-counts of mutilating a corpse and other charges. Prosecutors want the death penalty for all three.

A fourth man, Robert Cannon, 19, pleaded guilty in October to all charges. In exchange for testifying for the prosecution, he will receive a life sentence.

The victims were Erin Belanger, 22; Michelle Nathan, 19; Francisco Ayo-Roman, 30; Anthony Vega, 34; Roberto Gonzalez, 28; and Jonathan Gleason, 17. Most were co-workers at Burger King in Deltona.

Victorino was infuriated when Belanger took his Xbox game system and some clothing from her grandparents' vacant home, where he had been squatting. But the Xbox wasn't the real reason for the slayings, Tanner said.

"He was disrespected. It was a matter of respect," he said.

Victorino and the three others entered the house where the victims were sleeping in the early morning, Tanner said. "They beat and stabbed all six of these young people to death in a matter of minutes."

Investigators showed the jury photographs of the crime scene and the victims' bodies. Bill Belanger, Erin Belanger's father, left the courtroom before the photos of his daughter were shown and wept in the hall.

Attorney Jeffrey Dees, who represents Salas, said his client was not responsible for the slayings and did not know Victorino until days before the killings.

"Michael Salas is not a killer. He did not kill anybody," Dees said. "He did not attempt to kill. He did not go into that house to kill anybody."

Victorino "used his size and his power and his anger to intimidate four 18-year-olds," Dees said.

Michael Nielsen, who represents Victorino, asked the jury to keep an open mind. "You are going to be asked by Mr. Tanner to make the most important decision in this young man's life. Your decision is going to last a lifetime," Nielsen said.

Hunter's attorney, Ed Mills, did not make opening remarks.

[Last modified July 13, 2006, 05:48:48]