Man convicted in 2010 murder of elderly man loses appeal

Raymond Austin, 21, to serve 90 years in prison

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man convicted in the 2010 murder of an 83-year-old man lost his appeal before the First District Court of Appeal on Thursday.

According to the State Attorney's Office, Raymond Matthew Austin Jr., 21, and three others kidnapped Charles Soukup from the Jacksonville International Airport in a stolen rental car. Austin, who was 17 at the time, reportedly choked the elderly man before taking him to a wooded area and shooting him in the forehead at close range. Austin and the three other defendants fled in the stolen car.

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The State Attorney's Office said later in the same day Austin shot one of the co-defendant's ex-boyfriends in the chest.

In 2012, a jury convicted Austin of first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, kidnapping with a firearm and armed robbery.

Austin was sentenced to 90 years in prison for Soukup's murder and 45 years in prison for the second-degree murder conviction. The sentences will be served consecutively.

The appeals court affirmed Austin's convictions and sentences Thursday.