Judge Sentences Rines to 31 Years for Murdering His Wife

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that the Honorable Jeb Branham sentenced Nathan Rines to 31 years in Florida State Prison in accordance with a negotiated plea. Rines pleaded guilty to Second-Degree Murder of his wife Virginia Rines during a September 15, 2023, hearing,

Around 5 a.m. July 16, 2021, Rines’ children called 911 to report their father trying to kill their mother, 35-year-old Virginia. Officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to the apartment on University Boulevard North and found Virginia deceased in the bedroom. At the time of the attack, their three kids were inside the home. One child heard their mother screaming, gathered their other siblings, and fled the apartment to call 911. Rines stabbed Virginia 119 times before he walked outside to his kids, covered in blood, and told them their mother was dead. Police arrested Rines on scene inside the apartment. Rines has a documented history of mental illness out-of-state.

The case was investigated by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Katelyn Johnston.