A Lake County jury convicted 44-year-old Justin Lamar Jones of the violent 2022 killings of two individuals at a Clermont RV park, and Circuit Judge James R. Baxley sentenced him to life in prison. The case, which is linked to a 2022 incident at the Thousand Trails Orlando RV Park in unincorporated Clermont, gained attention for both the brutality of the crime scene and the survivor who managed to flee and ask for aid. Jurors reached their decision following a three-day trial and an extended sentence phase.
The jury convicted Jones of premeditated first-degree murder, second-degree murder, three counts of sexual battery, and one count of wrongful imprisonment, according to the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. According to Inside Lake, on March 5, 2026, Judge Baxley imposed a life sentence following the verdict. Prosecutors said the punishment assures Jones will not return to the community while the victims’ families are grieving.
According to early reports, deputies came to Thousand Trails Orlando RV Park on August 31, 2022, after a woman escaped an RV and reported being tied up and sexually beaten. According to WFTV, inside the trailer, investigators discovered 17-year-old Tyviontae Finister dead in a bedroom and 38-year-old Sandra Gaudino in the master bedroom. The survivor told deputies she witnessed Jones beating Finister before she was assaulted and then fled to a neighbor’s trailer for aid.
Law enforcement issued a BOLO for a Ford Explorer, which was subsequently discovered abandoned in a Publix parking lot along U.S. 27 in Clermont, according to Inside Lake. Officers apprehended Jones shortly after he was spotted walking nearby. According to the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, Jones admitted to the offenses after being read his Miranda rights. Prosecutors later stated that the rapid arrest and confession helped expedite the case to trial.
Assistant State Attorneys Nicholas Camuccio and Gabriel Lozano prosecuted the case, and the State Attorney’s Office publicly congratulated the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for conducting the investigation, according to West Orlando News. Following the sentencing, State Attorney Bill Gladson stated that the life sentence allows Jones “ample time to reflect on the irreversible pain he caused,” in a statement published after the court. Following the sentencing, the West Orlando News and the State Attorney’s Office issued a statement to local media outlets.
The ferocity of the killings alarmed neighbors and sparked an extensive Lake County Sheriff’s Office investigation at the time. One law enforcement source described the scene as one of the worst they had seen in decades. The killings took place during a series of violent occurrences in late August 2022, which local media later documented. WFTV captured early responses from deputies and neighbors as word of the arrests spread.
Jones will stay in state custody as the case goes into the post-trial phase, including any appeals filed by the defense. According to local reports, local prosecutors expressed gratitude for the investigative work that resulted in a quick arrest and what they consider to be a successful prosecution. Authorities have not announced any additional hearings in the case.
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