Skip to main content
Clear icon
50º

Man sentenced to life in prison for murder of 50-year-old outside St. Augustine bar

Vance Wilkins, 36, was convicted of killing Jason Mullins in 2023

Van Wilkins booking photo from St. Johns County Jail website. (News4JAX.com via St. Augustine police)

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A man convicted of killing a 50-year-old man in St. Augustine in 2023 was sentenced to life in prison Friday, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

In February 2023, Vance Wilkins, 36, met with Jason Mullins, 50, outside of a bar on Anastasia Boulevard and shot him seven times, officials said.

Recommended Videos



Mullins died at the scene.

Wilkins was later found and arrested.

RELATED | Police: Surveillance footage essential to arrest of 34-year-old in deadly shooting outside St. Augustine pub

Officer Dee Brown, public information officer with the St. Augustine Police Department, said at a news conference that Wilkins and Mullins exchanged words at the bar and in the parking lot before the fatal shooting.

It’s unclear what the two were arguing about or what led to the shooting.

Brown said parts of the incident were caught on surveillance video, which caught Wilkins’ vehicle leaving the scene.

“The surveillance was a big part of us solving the case so there’s surveillance not of the entire incident was caught on surveillance, but we do have surveillance and we’re piecing it all together,” Brown said back in 2023.

According to the SAO, during the investigation, a witness told detectives that they received a text from Wilkins about 15 minutes before the shooting, in which he wrote: “About to kill someone.”

Another text Wilkins sent mentioned Mullins’ first name, officials said.

According to the SAO, Wilkins pled guilty in September to second-degree murder in the shooting death of Mullins.

“The defendant will never walk the streets of St. Augustine again, and the city is a safer and better place now that he is gone,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case.


About the Author
Marcela Camargo headshot

Marcela joined News4JAX in 2023. She grew up in Mexico and eventually moved to California to pursue her dream of becoming a journalist. Now, she is a proud San Diego State University alumna who has many years of experience in TV and digital journalism.

Loading...

Recommended Videos