(Lake County, FL) Today, the Office of State Attorney Bill Gladson for the Fifth Judicial Circuit announces the sentencing of 29-year-old Austin Hill. Hill was found guilty by a jury last week of Premeditated First-Degree Murder with a Firearm for the 2023 murder of 39-year-old Wseni Laguerre. Following the defendant’s conviction, Judge Cary F. Rada sentenced Hill to Life in prison.

On January 30, 2023, the Eustis Police Department received a call for service in reference to a reported shooting at a residence off Palm Avenue in Eustis, Florida. Upon arrival, officers located the victim, Wseni Laguerre, with multiple gunshot wounds lying in the driveway of the home. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Officials on scene began speaking with a witness who indicated they were standing outside with the victim when another male, who said his name was “Lil Jake,” walked up to the pair and asked for a lighter. When the victim handed the lighter over, the male asked the victim if his name was “Haitian Black,” to which the victim responded yes.

The witness further stated that at this time, the man pulled out a firearm and shot the victim multiple times before fleeing. On scene, investigators were able to collect multiple spent shell casings as evidence, as well as a general description of the defendant from the witness.

During their investigation, officials received a tip indicating that Hill was the shooter. Detectives followed up on this lead, obtaining critical evidence that placed Hill at the scene of the shooting and positively identified him as the shooter. Investigators were further able to obtain the firearm that was used during the shooting and matched the gun to the spent shell casings from the scene.

This case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Kenneth Nunnelley and Rachel Jones. Thank you to the Eustis Police Department for their diligent work in this case.

Published on 2/12/2026.