- April 19, 2024
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DeLeon Springs resident Ronald Collins, 51, has been charged with second-degree murder after a woman's body was discovered Dec. 23 wrapped inside a comforter at a property Collins had rented in Bunnell.
"This should send a message to criminals that regardless of jurisdictional boundaries, we all work together and we will get you."
— RICK STALY, Flagler County Sheriff
The victim has been identified as 31-year-old Longwood resident Jillian Marie Petrotto. Collins has confessed to killing her, according to news releases from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office and Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
“Our detectives and CSI did a great job and worked through the holidays,” Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly said, according to the FCSO news release. “Within a few hours, FCSO detectives developed a person of interest and immediately worked with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office to jointly solve this case. This should send a message to criminals that regardless of jurisdictional boundaries, we all work together and we will get you."
The investigation began shortly after 4 p.m. Dec. 23, when FCSO deputies responded to a report of a body found wrapped in a comforter on a futon in an RV at 174 Florida Ave. in western Bunnell, according to the news releases. The victim had been strangled and sustained blunt-force trauma to the head.
Detectives determined that Collins, who was not at the scene, had rented the property.
On Thursday, Dec. 26, detectives identified the body as that of Petrotto. She had often been seen with Collins, according to the news releases.
Collins turned himself in at the Volusia County Sheriff's Office the afternoon of Dec. 26.
In interviews with detectives from both agencies, Collins said he had killed Petrotto in his home at 4856 U.S. 17 in DeLeon Springs on Dec. 13 because he was mad that she was leaving to get money to buy drugs, according to the news releases.
He said he'd blacked out during the murder and didn't remember details, that he had been in an occasional romantic relationship with Petrotto, and that she had been living with him.
Collins was arrested the night of Dec. 26 at the VSCO District 2 headquarters in DeLand, charged with second-degreee murder and taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail, with no bond allowed, according to the news releases.
“Thanks to hard work and cooperation between our detectives, Ronald Collins is in jail where he belongs, facing the consequences he deserves,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said, according to the VCSO news release. “We hope Ms. Petrotto’s family and friends can find some peace knowing her killer is brought to justice.”
