The Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, which serves Orange County and Osceola County, has filed two notices of intent to seek the death penalty in the first-degree murder case against Kevin Torres. Earlier this month, a grand jury returned three first-degree murder indictments against Torres for his involvement in the 2021 shooting deaths of two men and one teenager in Osceola County.
According to authorities, on November 16, 2021, Torres was in his apartment when he fatally shot 44-year-old Justin Atkinson, who he knew, in the head.
Torres then went to the victim’s apartment where immediately upon entry, he shot and killed Atkinson’s 16-year-old son, Calvin Atkinson, and the son’s friend, 25-year-old Anthony Mull. Torres also mutilated Mull’s body with a curtain rod and torch.
The State of Florida will seek the death penalty in the homicides of Calvin Atkinson and Mull because there are sufficient aggravating circumstances.
“The decision to seek the death penalty is a responsibility that I approach with a profound sense of humility and duty to upholding the rule of law,” said State Attorney Andrew Bain. “Each capital murder case must be evaluated individually to determine if a reasonable jury made up of Osceola County residents could sentence a defendant to death. Given the multiple victims who were senselessly killed and the egregious facts of this case, we are seeking the most severe punishment available under the law.”
The State Attorney’s office acknowledged the public interest and concern surrounding this brutal Central Florida case; however, the office is unable to provide further comment in order to protect the integrity of the case and the legal process.
