Hernandez Sentenced to Two Life Sentences for Murder

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that Mike Hernandez was sentenced by the Honorable Anthony Salem to two consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty to two counts of Second-Degree Murder and one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Hernandez entered his plea with the court during a June 1, 2023, hearing; he was sentenced during a July 19, 2023, hearing.

On April 17, 2022, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to a person shot at a Powers Avenue business. When officers arrived, they found two people had been shot and killed. Hernandez was located at a local hospital suffering from a gunshot wound and claimed he had been shot while checking his vehicle’s tire near Wilson Boulevard. However, witnesses who observed the shooting said Hernandez and the victims were in a verbal argument when Hernandez slapped one of the victims, pulled out a gun, and fired once at the ground. The victims ran away, and Hernandez pursued and shot both. Hernandez then fled as one of the witnesses returned fire. Video surveillance from nearby businesses confirms the witnesses’ accounts. Hernandez, a previously convicted felon, is not legally allowed to possess a firearm.

The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Brooke Milo.