Three people killed in St. Augustine road rage incident, suspects arrested

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Three people were killed last year when a van slammed into the back of their SUV at a red light on State Road 16 in St. Augustine.

Last week, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joseph Devenuta and Lucas Hedetniemi-Hart and charged both with three counts of vehicular homicide.

The crash, which happened May 14, 2020, started as a road rage incident between the two suspects, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Devenuta and Hedetniemi-Hart are accused of driving recklessly for about two miles between US-1 and Woodlawn Road on State Road 16.

Investigators said both suspects had their phones, but neither called police to report the road rage.

There were also several spots to pull over and back off from the road rage, FHP said.

The FHP report states that surveillance video show the two drivers following each other closely, running each other off the road and chasing each other.

Devenuta, 70, rear-ended a Chevy Equinox with three people inside, according to the arrest report.

Christopher Converse, his wife Patricia Vos, and Vos’ sister Lora Holley were all in the SUV and were killed as a result of the crash.

Vos and Converse lived in Durbin Crossing during the winter, but were from Massachusetts.

“They were the best neighbors. They looked out for us, and we looked out for them. Just kind people,” May Campo, who lives across the street, said. “It was so tragic, and it could’ve been avoided.”

Action News Jax has requested the mug shots for Hedetniemi-Hart and Devenuta.

We are still waiting for Devenuta’s mug shot.

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