ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Osceola County jury found Federico Gondola, 41, guilty of two counts of First Degree Murder with a Firearm, Burglary of a Dwelling with Assault/Battery with a Firearm and Robbery with a Firearm after he shot and killed a couple in their home in 2018.

On July 14, 2018, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office responded to an “attempt to contact” call at a home in the 2300 block of Meadow Oak Circle in Kissimmee. When deputies arrived on the scene, they discovered the homeowners, Roosevelt Dixon, 74, and his wife Janette Dixon, 72, dead in their home office. The autopsies revealed the suspect killed them both with a gunshot wound to the head.

The following week, the Melbourne Police Department contacted the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office to inform them of information from a potential witness to the homicide. The witness gave investigators information that indicated they had either been present at the scene or heard the details from someone who was at the scene at the time of the murders. The witness identified Gondola, who investigators knew had contacted Mr. Dixon several times before his murder. Osceola County deputies located Gondola and took him into custody.

During the trial, a witness testified that Gondola initially approached them with a plan to commit a robbery against the victims, but the witness declined. After the murders took place, Gondola met the witness at a 7-Eleven to ask for assistance in disposing of evidence. Surveillance video at the 7-Eleven and a 911 phone call verified the witness’s story. Additionally, deputies found the murder weapon under a mattress belonging to Gondola’s girlfriend.

After a six-day trial, a jury found Gondola guilty of two counts of First Degree Murder with a Firearm, Burglary of a Dwelling with Assault/Battery with a Firearm and Robbery with a Firearm. The judge sentenced him to life in prison on all counts.