Two witnesses on Wednesday contradicted claims by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office that deputies did not know that a man now accused of beating to death Erin Belanger and five friends had threatened her in the days leading up to the slayings. Belanger called 911 from her Telford Lane home Aug. 1 to report strangers threatening her over a property dispute. When deputies arrived, the suspects were gone.

But in the latest of many failures of the police and judicial system to come to light since the killings, two people who were with Belanger and her friends that night said Wednesday that deputies were told that Troy Victorino was among the group that threatened Belanger.

Victorino, a convicted felon and suspected ringleader in the massacre, led a group armed with baseball bats, brass knuckles and knives as they called for Belanger by name while she hid in her bedroom, the witnesses said. They also said the three men who are accused along with Victorino in the slayings were part of that armed group.

Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson has repeatedly said deputies would have put Victorino behind bars if they had known he threatened Belanger. That’s because Victorino was on probation at the time after serving six years of a 15-year sentence for beating a man nearly to death with a stick in 1996.

Johnson was not available for comment Wednesday night, but department spokesman Gary Davidson defended investigators.

“We stand by our deputies and the actions that they took,” Davidson said. “Everybody knew this guy was a bad guy and a thug. But being a bad guy and a thug and taking baseball bats and bashing to death six innocent people is a huge leap, and I don’t think anyone could have foreseen this coming.”

But, Abigael Vazquez, a friend of Belanger’s who also knew Victorino, said he told deputies the night of the 911 on Aug. 1 call that Victorino was dangerous.

“I told them that it was Troy who had been out there [harassing Belanger],” said Vazquez, 18. “I am scared of Troy. He is a big guy, and has this look in his eyes that says he’ll hurt you.”