Trials
Jermaine Lynn Long was sentenced to 45 years in prison for a box-cutter attack on a 13-year-old boy near the Daytona Beach Boardwalk.
On Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, Jermaine Lynn Long, 44, entered no-contest pleas to attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery and six other charges across three more cases. Circuit Judge Christian Miller sentenced him to 45 years, including 30 years as a prison releasee reoffender, the State Attorney's Office for the Seventh Judicial Circuit said. The Feb. 14 attack left a 13-year-old boy with 13 stitches.
By Crime Talk Network Staff Writer ·
The no-contest pleas and the 45-year term are the court's judgment on the counts Long resolved. The boy survived. His family worked with prosecutors so he would not have to testify, FOX 35 Orlando reported. State Attorney R.J. Larizza said an extremely dangerous person is off the street for 45 years.
On Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Volusia County, Jermaine Lynn Long, 44, entered no-contest pleas to attempted second-degree murder and aggravated battery, along with six additional charges in three other cases, the State Attorney's Office for Florida's Seventh Judicial Circuit said. That is eight charges across four cases. Circuit Judge Christian Miller sentenced him to a total of 45 years in prison, including 30 years as a prison releasee reoffender. The office announced the sentence the same day.
The attack happened Feb. 14, 2026, during Daytona 500 weekend, near the Daytona Beach Boardwalk. A 13-year-old boy who was visiting for the races was walking with his parents when he was slashed across the neck with a box cutter, the state attorney's office and FOX 35 Orlando reported. He was taken to a hospital, received 13 stitches, and survived. Crime Talk Network is not naming the boy or his mother.
Prosecutors said surveillance footage showed Long circling behind the boy before attacking him and running away. Daytona Beach police found him nearby shortly afterward. Two edged weapons, a box cutter and a knife, were found on him, the state attorney's office said. FOX 35 reported the family worked with prosecutors on a resolution so the boy would not have to testify at trial. Long apologized in court. The boy told reporters he does not forgive him, and his mother said the family was "very happy with the 45 years," FOX 35 reported.
The boy's mother is questioning why Long was not arrested in an earlier encounter in which he had been detained in connection with an alleged attack on a man with a sledgehammer, FOX 35 reported. She said she has requested body-camera and surveillance footage from police and has not received a response. That is her account of the records request. WESH reported that police said they lacked sufficient evidence at the time of that earlier encounter.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza said, "An extremely dangerous individual is now off the streets for 45 years." In the same statement, released by his office, he said, "Hopefully, he will not survive his incarceration." Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilleger prosecuted the case. The Daytona Beach Police Department investigated. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Long's no-contest pleas and Thursday's sentence are the court's judgment on the counts he resolved.
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