Jury Finds Quiles Guilty of Murder, Sexual Battery of Pregnant Niece

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that a Duval County jury has found Johnathan Quiles guilty of two counts of First-Degree Murder and one count of Sexual Battery for the murder of his niece and her unborn child. The State is seeking the death penalty for Quiles’ crimes. With the verdict, the penalty phase of the trial begins Sept. 25, 2023, before the Honorable Anthony Salem.

On Dec. 19, 2018, the victim’s family reported the 16-year-old victim missing – she was last seen leaving Terry Parker High School around 11 a.m. The victim was five months pregnant at the time of her disappearance. Quiles had an ongoing inappropriate sexual relationship with the victim for more than a year, as documented in the victim’s journal and their Snapchat communications. Quiles, having discovered the victim was pregnant with his child and worried his family would find out, lured the victim to his workplace under the pretenses they were going to run away together. Instead, Quiles shot and killed the victim and placed her body in the dumpster that was taken to Otis Road Landfill. Weeks after the victim was reported missing, Quiles’ out-of state brother alerted law enforcement that Quiles confessed to killing the teen and dumping her body in a dumpster at his work. Due to the weather conditions and length of time that had passed since she was last seen, investigators were unable to recover her body despite an extensive search. While awaiting trial, Quiles confessed to his crimes to two different inmates, one of which was audio recorded.

The case was investigated by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Cameron French and Dan Skinner.