Dameon Akins was mad when his girlfriend broke up with him, so he hit her and threatened to kill her.

“Death is in the air,” Akins said in messages to the victim. “Wherever I see you, I hope God be with you.”

One of his video messages ended with 29-year-old Akins forming his hands into a gun and motioning as if he was firing shots.

After 30 minutes of deliberation, a jury convicted Akins Aug. 22 of written threats to kill and aggravated stalking. He is facing a minimum of 15 years in prison and will be sentenced Sept. 6.

Assistant State Attorney Aaron Henry walked jurors through the events leading up to Akins’ threats.

On May 12, 2017, the victim attempted to break up with Akins. Upon learning she planned to leave him, the victim testified that Akins battered her by hitting her in the head and clawing at her ears.

The victim asked Akins to leave her alone, but he kept contacting her, threatening to kill her and her family. She initially changed the locks to her home, but after receiving the video where Akins mimicked shooting her, the victim sent her three kids away, her mom moved her business out of the county, and her dad purchased a gun.

When Akins took the stand, he admitted to contacting the victim repeatedly after the victim asked him to stop.

But when Henry asked the defendant why he made videos threatening to kill the victim, Akins said he didn’t.

“I was just saying those things in the video to make myself Facebook famous,” Akins said from the witness stand, claiming it wasn’t a threat to any of the females he was dating.

After Henry replayed the video of Akins’ threats, the defendant conceded it was him in the video saying threatening things and pretending to hold and shoot a gun.

During closing arguments, the defense claimed that the victim found out Akins was cheating, so she brought the charges to law enforcement because she was a scorned woman. He added that the threat was “about as credible as a trip to Mars.”

“She found out about the cheating in February, and she stayed,” Henry told jurors. “This is not a trip to Mars. This is about a scorned boyfriend who lived in the same county and made threats to her and her family … (the victim) broke up with him and was then hit by him. The threat was credible.”

Henry reminded jurors that Akins’ own mother testified that he drove a car with a gun and had access to the weapon.

“He (Akins) indicated he had access to it by making a gun gesture in the video … The victim believed the threats were real and had every reason to believe they were real,” Henry said.

“Clearly that’s his face in the video. He said that’s his face,” Henry told the jury in his closing arguments. “You only have one chance to do the right thing. Based on the evidence presented, you should find the defendant guilty of both counts, as charged in the information.”

State Attorney Brian Haas announced that Auburndale Police Chief Chris Nelson will join the State Attorney’s Office as its Executive Director.

When Nelson assumes the role on August 27, he will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the office. He will also oversee the budget, human resources, IT, facilities, investigations, records retention, and Child Support Enforcement.

As Executive Director, Nelson’s ultimate mission will be to ensure that all prosecutors, investigators, and State Attorney’s Office staff have the best tools possible to do their jobs in a professional, efficient, and productive environment, all while serving the citizens of the Tenth Circuit.

He is respected state-wide and will be influential in coordinating work for the Tenth Circuit in Tallahassee during the legislative session.

Nelson said he is excited to be joining the State Attorney’s Office as the new Executive Director.

Chris Nelson has served communities in our state for more than 25 years, both as a veteran law enforcement officer and a State Attorney’s Office investigator. His experience as a leader in law enforcement will greatly benefit this office in his role of Executive Director.

Nelson graduated from Bartow High School and began his law enforcement career in 1992. After serving several years as an officer, he became the Assistant Chief of Police in Live Oak.

He then worked for the Office of the State Attorney, Third Judicial Circuit, as an investigator.

Nelson became the Auburndale Police Chief in 2012, where he has faithfully served its citizens since then.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminology from St. Leo University and a Master of Science in Criminology from Florida State University. Nelson is also a graduate of the 209th Session of the FBI National Academy.

“Chris brings a wealth of experience to this position and will be instrumental in helping us to continue to pursue justice for victims,” State Attorney Haas said Tuesday. “I look forward to working with Chris as we serve the citizens of the Tenth Circuit.”