Dunnellon father and son sentenced to 15 (father) and 20 years (son) in battery case

State Attorney's Office, Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
Serving Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando counties
November 1, 2024

Marion County, Florida - On October 29, 2024, a father and son from Dunnellon, Florida were both sentenced to serve sentences in the Florida Department of corrections (DOC) on charges of aggravated battery with great bodily harm and tampering with a witness.

Both were found guilty by a jury in early September, 2024 in the case which was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Tucker O'Neill.

Fifty year-old Vincent Paul Gaudio was sentenced to serve 15 years, and his 18 year-old son William Trent Gaudio was sentenced to serve 20 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.

"The victim in this case was targeted and brutally attacked by the defendants," said Bill Gladson, State Attorney with Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit. "I believe the court's sentencing decision greatly reflects the severity of the crime, and guarantees justice for the victim."

On September 4, 2023, the two Gaudio men attacked a man near the Circle K gas stations located at 11946 North Williams Street in Dunnellon. The victim reported to officials, that while riding a bike after leaving the store, Vincent Gaudio and William Gaudio appeared as they exited a trail from a wooded area. William (the son) grabbed the bicycle, causing the victim to fall to the ground and while the victim was on the ground, both Gaudio men punched and kicked the victim's head and chest. The victim attempted to call 9-1-1 on his phone while being battered, but the men grabbed the phone and smashed it, preventing the victim from completing his attempted call for help.

Deputies who responded to the location of the incident reported that the victim's face was swollen, with hemorrhaging (bleeding) to an eye and a hematoma (bruise) to his lip/s. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital and further diagnosed with a fractured orbital (eye socket) bone.