Victor Tony Jones, who was convicted of murder, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday in the Florida State Prison in Raiford, Sept. 30, and pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. Jones had no final statement.
About 60 protesters against the death penalty held a mass in a field across from death row before Jones’ execution. At 6 p.m., they formed a line to hit a bell with a hammer, shouting, “It's not in my name.”
“This cycle of violence has to stop,” said the Rev. Philip Egitto of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, who led the group.
During the mass, Maria DeLiberato, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, also expressed her view against the death penalty and the execution of the defendant.
On the other hand, Bill Campbell, a counterprotester,played upbeat music loudly to express his disagreement with the protesters. When asked for a statement, he said:
“These criminals have to be handled,” he said, “This really is an attack on the state government, and an attack on the governor. It is not a religious operation.”
Jones was convicted of killing his employers, Matilda Nestor, 66, and Jacob Nestor, 67, at their business, Nestor Engineering Company in 1990, where he started working just two days prior to committing the robbery attempt and double murder.
Jones fatally stabbed Mrs. Nestor in the neck and Mr. Nestor in the chest. After the attack, before he died, Jacob Nestor retrieved a .22-caliber pistol from his office and fired five times at Jones, striking him once in the forehead.
When the officers arrived at the scene, some of Nestor's belongings, such as money, keys, cigarette lighters and a small change purse, were found with Jones. Later, they took the defendant to the hospital to treat his injuries.
After the execution, Nestor’s daughter, Irene Fisher, also gave a statement to the press.
“I wish my parents had that opportunity, to die so gracefully, close your eyes and just go,” she said. “I am very happy on one end that it is over, and I am sad also that someone else had to lose their life.”
She concluded her statement by expressing that she feels justice has finally been served.
Jones initially was indicted for the murders of Matilda and Jacob Nestor, as first‑degree murder counts, armed robbery against both victims and possession of a firearm by a felon.
In March 1993, the jury found him guilty on both counts, first‑degree murder and armed robbery. The jury recommended the death penalty, voting 10-2 for the murder of Matilda Nestor and 12-0 for the murder of Jacob Nestor.
Over the years, Jones and his lawyers filed many appeals with the state against the sentence, the most recent one was earlier this month, when they filed an appeal for the Florida Supreme Court based on the defendant having intellectual disability and alleged new evidence that he suffered abuse as a teen at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys. The reform school was run by the state and closed due to a federal investigation that showed a long history of systemic abuse, neglect and suspicious deaths.
The Florida Supreme Court denied the appeal, ruling the evidence was procedurally barred.
The execution at Florida State Prison in Raiford was Florida’s 13th in 2025, setting a record for the most executions in a single year. The previous high was eight in 2014.
Florida also leads the nation this year in executions, followed by Texas, which has five. Nationwide, 34 prisoners have been executed so far in 2025. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, about 256 inmates are currently on death row in the state.