Bio 

Victor Tony Jones was born on May 1, 1961, in the United States. Jones had an established criminal history before the double murder. Florida correctional records show that he had been incarcerated before the Nestors were killed. He was released from prison on conditional release on November 27, 1990, only 22 days before the murders.

Shortly after his release, Jones obtained employment at a business owned by Jacob and Matilda Nestor in Miami-Dade County, Florida. December 19, 1990, was reportedly only his second day working for the couple. The position placed him inside the Nestors’ business and gave him direct access to both victims on the day they were killed.

Jones’ mental competency and intellectual functioning later became important issues in his criminal proceedings. A competency hearing was held on February 11, 1993, and the trial court found that he was competent to proceed. His attorneys later renewed competency and intellectual-disability arguments during post-conviction litigation.

During those proceedings, the courts examined evidence concerning Jones’ cognitive abilities and mental condition. His attorneys also raised the possibility that he had been affected by fetal alcohol exposure. However, the courts did not find the evidence sufficient to overturn his convictions or death sentences.

In March 2005, the Florida Supreme Court returned part of the case to the circuit court so that Jones’ claim of intellectual disability could be examined. Evidentiary hearings were conducted on November 14, 2005, and January 10, 2006. On February 24, 2006, the circuit court ruled that Jones did not meet Florida’s legal definition of intellectual disability.

Decades later, Jones’ lawyers again argued that his execution should be prohibited because of intellectual disability. They also presented evidence that he had suffered abuse as a child while confined at the state-operated Okeechobee School for Boys. In January 2025, Florida recognized Jones as eligible for compensation as a survivor of abuse at a state reform school. His attorneys argued that the evidence of childhood abuse and intellectual limitations had not been adequately considered during the original sentencing proceedings.

The state and federal courts ultimately rejected his final requests for relief. His convictions and death sentences remained in effect until his execution in September 2025.

Murder Story

Victor Tony Jones' crimes began on December 19, 1990, at a Miami-Dade County business owned by Jacob Nestor, 67, and his wife, Matilda Nestor, 66. Jones had only recently been hired by the couple, and reports indicated that it was just his second day working at their establishment. According to evidence presented at trial, the attack started when Matilda entered a bathroom near the rear of the business. Jones approached her from behind and stabbed her once in the back near the base of her neck. The wound severed a major artery supplying blood to the brain, and Matilda collapsed and died inside the bathroom. Hearing or witnessing the disturbance, Jacob moved from the main office toward the bathroom, where Jones confronted him and stabbed him once in the chest. The knife penetrated Jacob's heart, inflicting a fatal injury.

Despite his wound, Jacob managed to retreat to the main office. Evidence later showed that he removed the knife from his chest and attempted to call for help. Realizing the danger he and his wife faced, he drew a .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol from a holster and fired five shots at Jones. One of the bullets struck Jones in the forehead. Even after being shot, Jones remained inside the building while Jacob collapsed and died from his injuries. Investigators later found Jacob's empty holster attached to his waistband, and physical evidence suggested that his body may have been moved after he fell so that property could be removed from his pockets.

A concerned neighbor eventually contacted authorities after noticing something unusual at the locked business. Responding officers forced their way inside and encountered a horrific scene. Matilda's body was discovered in the bathroom, while Jacob's body lay in the main office. Nearby, officers found Victor Tony Jones slumped over a couch with the butt of Jacob's pistol visible beneath his arm. Initially unaware that Jones himself had been wounded, officers asked what had happened. Jones reportedly replied, "The old man shot me."

A search of Jones revealed numerous items belonging to the victims. Investigators recovered money, keys, cigarette lighters, and a small change purse identified as Matilda's from his pockets. The wallets belonging to Jacob and Matilda were also found in his possession, while no money or valuables remained on either victim. Matilda's purse was located near Jones on the office couch, supporting prosecutors' claim that robbery had been the motive behind the killings.

Jones was transported to a hospital to receive treatment for the gunshot wound to his forehead. While under medical care, he made additional incriminating statements to hospital staff. According to testimony presented at trial, Jones told a nurse that he needed to leave because he had "killed those people." When asked why he had done it, he reportedly answered, "They owed me money and I had to kill them." Prosecutors argued that the murders had been committed during the course of an armed robbery and pointed to the victims' property recovered from Jones' clothing as evidence of his motive.

A Miami-Dade County grand jury indicted Jones on January 11, 1991, charging him with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed robbery, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The firearm charge was later severed from the case and ultimately dismissed by prosecutors. Following trial proceedings, a jury found Jones guilty on February 1, 1993, of the first-degree murders of Jacob and Matilda Nestor, as well as both armed robbery charges. During the penalty phase, jurors recommended a death sentence for Matilda's murder by a vote of 10-2, while unanimously recommending death for Jacob's murder by a vote of 12-0. On March 1, 1993, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Rodolfo Sorondo Jr. formally sentenced Jones to death for both murders and imposed life sentences for the armed robbery convictions.

Jones spent more than three decades challenging his convictions and death sentences through the state and federal court systems. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed his convictions and sentences on January 12, 1995, and the United States Supreme Court declined to hear his case later that year. Over the years, Jones pursued multiple post-conviction motions, raising claims involving ineffective assistance of counsel, competency, intellectual disability, fetal alcohol syndrome, and the constitutionality of Florida's death penalty procedures. Although courts considered these arguments extensively, each challenge ultimately failed, and his death sentences remained in place.

On August 29, 2025, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant scheduling Jones' execution for September 30, 2025. Jones' final legal efforts focused primarily on claims that he was intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for execution. His attorneys also argued that severe abuse he suffered while confined at the Okeechobee School for Boys should be reconsidered as mitigating evidence. The Florida Supreme Court rejected those claims, and subsequent appeals to federal courts and the United States Supreme Court were likewise unsuccessful.

On the evening of September 30, 2025, Victor Tony Jones was escorted into the execution chamber at Florida State Prison near Starke, Florida. Witnesses observed as the curtain opened shortly after 6:00 p.m. When asked whether he wished to make a final statement, Jones simply replied, "No, sir." The lethal injection procedure then began. Witnesses reported that his breathing gradually slowed before stopping, and a medical official entered the chamber to pronounce him dead at 6:13 p.m. Jones was 64 years old at the time of his execution. His final meal reportedly consisted of fried chicken, collard greens, and sweet tea. Members of the Nestor family, including the couple's daughter, witnessed the execution. With his death, Victor Tony Jones became the thirteenth person executed in Florida during 2025, marking a modern-era annual record for the state.