Nicolas Vasquez held a gun to the back of Joshua Dibling’s head, threatening to kill him if he did not hand over money.

Nicolas Vasquez, 21, of Haines City.

Vasquez was convicted by a jury Oct. 25, 2017, of three counts of robbery with a deadly weapon and one count of burglary while armed with assault or battery. He was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison by Judge Roddenbery.

Assistant State Attorney Amy Smith tried Vasquez’s case and walked the jurors through the events of Dec. 2, 2015.

About 10:15 a.m., Vasquez and his co-defendant Zachary Bitner went to Executive Insurance in Lake Alfred with handguns. Upon entering the building, the masked men drew their weapons and demanded money.

Bitner stayed in the front of the agency, pointing a gun at an employee and customer. Vasquez went back to the offices and pointed a gun at Dibling.

Vasquez threatened to kill the man if he did not hand over money.

While holding a gun to the back of Dibling’s head, Vasquez then walked him to the owner’s office and demanded more money. He told Dibling to get down on the ground, while still holding the gun to the back of his head.

Vazquez then took the money and ran out of the agency, followed by Bitner.

They stole about $1,000 from the victims and fled on foot into a wooded area. While fleeing, they removed the clothing they were wearing and hid it under a trailer.

Vasquez and Bitner then got into a white Toyota truck, which was driven by co-defendant Koree Warren.

A Polk County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Deputy tracked Vasquez and Bitner through the wooded area behind the agency but only located the discarded items of clothing.

Assistant State Attorney Amy Smith, right, and Vasquez’s defense attorney address Judge Roddenbery during the sentencing hearing Tuesday.

A witness saw a white Toyota leaving a neighborhood located North East of the Insurance Agency.  Later, a second witness saw the same white Toyota parked near his cousin’s residence.

When the witness attempted to make contact with the occupants, a Hispanic male, later identified as Vasquez, displayed an apparent semi-automatic firearm. The weapons were later found to be Airsoft guns.

Law enforcement located and completed a traffic stop on the truck the following day.

The description of the suspects in the Toyota matched the description of the suspects from the armed robbery. DNA testing confirmed the identity of both Vasquez and Bitner.

Prior to Vasquez’s sentencing, Warren – the getaway driver – testified against his co-defendant and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Bitner – the second gunman – was sentenced to life in prison.

Paul Marx consumed numerous alcoholic drinks and drifted off the roadway while driving home, striking and instantly killing a pedestrian.

Paul Marx, 45, of Auburndale.

After three hours of deliberation, Marx, 45, was convicted Friday of vehicular homicide with failure to render aid and leaving the scene of a crash involving death. He is facing up to 60 years in prison.

Marx will be sentenced May 3.

Assistant State Attorneys Mattie Tondreault and Courtney Durden tried the case and took jurors back to the night of Sept. 27, 2014, when 52-year-old John Haney was killed.

Marx started drinking at about 4 p.m. that day with his neighbor, consuming drinks with double shots of alcohol. He took his neighbor home about two hours later and went back out to drink, visiting at least three different establishments, until he left the XYZ Lounge about 11:15 p.m.

Haney walked up to the Circle K on U.S. 92 and was headed back home. He was walking in the grassy area on the eastbound side of the road, which is about three feet from where the pavement ends.

Marx was travelling about 55 miles per hour down U.S. 92 in his 2004 Ford F-150 when he veered off the roadway. He drove on the side of the road for 224 feet, and he struck Haney with the front right section of his truck.

Haney’s back hit the hood of Marx’s truck before his body was thrown 141 feet from the point of impact. Marx continued driving on the side of the roadway for over 150 feet before he re-entered it.

There were clear tire tracks left at the scene, which showed that Marx did not swerve or attempt to hit the brakes.

When Marx got home, his neighbor noticed that the truck was parked funny and saw Marx drunkenly leaning on the vehicle. The two men found blood spots on the hood of the truck, and Marx admitted he heard a thud while driving home but thought it was road debris.

The neighbor drove Marx back to the bar in an attempt to find the scene of the incident, but they were unable to. Marx went back home and waited another two hours before calling police to report the crash.

Haney’s body was found about 3 a.m.

The defense argued that Marx didn’t see the victim or know what he hit, so he kept driving. They claimed it was just an accident.

But Tondreault told jurors that at least two feet of Haney’s body would have been visible above the hood of the truck at the point of impact. She also reminded the jury that Marx had his headlights and fog lights on, illuminating the grass in the 224 feet leading up to the victim.