Man sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder of man shot outside St. Augustine bar

A man who police say sent a text saying "About to kill someone" before he shot and killed a man behind a St. Augustine pub in 2023 was sentenced to life in prison this week.

Vance Wilkins, 36, pleaded guilty in September to second-degree murder, according to a news release from the office of State Attorney R.J. Larizza.

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Investigators say Wilkins met Jason Mullins, 50, in the alley behind O'steen's restaurant and The Pub on Feb. 2, 2023.

According to Wilkins' arrest report , a witness said they received texts from Wilkins at 1:31 a.m. saying, "about to kill someone" and the witness responds saying, "Why would u want to kill someone," and Wilkins responded back saying "(Expletive) Jason." Witness responds and said "what's going on," and Wilkins replies "It's about to down."

Video surveillance shows they had a short conversation before Wilkins took off in his truck and Mullins laid motionless on the ground, the State Attorney's Office said. Mullins was shot several times and died at the scene of the shooting, investigators said.

The St. Augustine Police Department said when Wilkins was taken into custody, he did confess to the shooting.

"The defendant will never walk the streets of St. Augustine again, and the city is a safer and better place now that he is gone," State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case in the news release.