A Marion County jury found 16-year-old Amber Wright and Kyle Hooper guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder. Seath Jackson, 15 years old, killed and dismembered by other teens in Florida. Two of the 5 have plead guilty!

MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- A 15-year-old boy was killed and dismembered before being burned in a bonfire and dumped into water, Orange County deputies said Wednesday. Investigators said he was lured into a house by his ex-girlfriend then beaten by a gang of older teens.

Six people are in jail, including the teen's 15-year-old ex-girlfriend, Amber Wright.

They're accused of killing Seath Jackson in a Summerfield home on S.E. 53rd Avenue in Marion County on Sunday, and then trying to cover up the crime by burning his body.

WFTV spoke with Jackson's closest friends on Wednesday. They said he spent Sunday at their house and Wright texted him non-stop, telling him she wanted to get back together. Detectives said the texts were part of a plan to lure Jackson to the home shared by her friends.

Jackson's friend, Jeremy Williams, said he cannot move past the shock.

"She was calling and texting and telling him she wanted to get back with him," Williams said.

Once inside the home, Jackson was hit in the head with some kind of wooden object and was shot multiple times, according to detectives. When Jackson made an attempt to leave the house, he was tackled, held and shot again, deputies said.

"He was beaten in the head with a wooden object; it may have been an ax handle. He was shot once, he was able to break free, he was tackled and he was shot once again," said Judge Cochran of the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies arrested Wright, 18-year-old Charlie Kay Ely, 18-year-old Michael S. Bargo, 20-year-old Justin Soto, and 16-year-old Kyle Hooper, who is Wright's brother, and charged them with first-degree murder.

"He was dragged into the bathroom where he was beaten some more and shot once again," Cochran said.

Wright's stepfather, 37-year-old James Havens, was also arrested and charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

According to investigators, Bargo was the mastermind behind the murder plot.

According to a sheriff's office report, Jackson's body was placed in a bathtub and his knee caps were broken. His body was hog tied and then placed into a sleeping bag and then burned in bonfire.

Jackson's remains were then shoveled into several 5-gallon paint containers and dumped it in the water at a local lime quarry, allegedly with Haven's help, detectives said.

The details are too much for Jackson's friends to take, and they were there when his parents found out what happened.

"It was really hard. A bunch of his friends were there and the look on his parent's face was just horrible," said friend Carrie Williams. "I'm astounded that people can do that to a child."

Deputies said Havens overheard the teens talking about the murder, but said he didn't take it seriously. After he learned what happened, deputies said he helped them cover up the murder.

Havens was released on a $10,000 bond on Wednesday morning, according to the sheriff's office.

The motive behind the violence is something everyone is struggling to understand. Their only clue: Jackson's Facebook page and a series of messages between him and Wright filled with profanity.

Jackson accused her of cheating. She wrote: "You continuously write s**t about me."

"I said I was done with you, and you should be done with me," Jackson said.

"It takes a real man to accept the fact that he got broke up with," Wright posted.

The online argument may have fueled the viscous killing.
source
wftv.com

This is horrible! These kids are horrible and that Father, OMG. Unbelievable what some kids can do.
Artgal, I tried to look this up to no avail, can you provide a link please?

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By Anika Myers Palm and Arelis R. Hernández, Orlando Sentinel
7:14 p.m. EDT, April 20, 2011

At the beginning of March, 15-year-old Seath Jackson adored Amber Wright.

He posted on Facebook that he loved Wright, also 15, and noted on one peaceful afternoon that he was spending time with her and her brother, 16-year-old Kyle Hooper. Weeks later, the young couple had broken up.

Now Wright is accused of luring Seath to his death with a text message.

Marion County Sheriff's Office detectives said Wednesday that Wright, Hooper and three older friends were responsible for planning a deadly encounter during which Seath was brutally beaten, shot several times and his body burned to ashes. They were charged with first-degree murder. James Young Havens III, 37, who is Wright and Hooper's stepfather, is accused of acting as an accessory after the fact.

The killing shocked residents and crime experts alike.

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"Our detectives — seasoned detectives — shook their heads in disbelief because this type of first-degree murder is unimaginable," sheriff's spokesman Judge Cochran said.

Authorities began searching for Seath on Monday, when his parents in Belleview — 75 miles northwest of Orlando — reported him missing.

It wasn't until Tuesday that Hooper — in the company of his mother, Tracey Wright — first told deputies that he saw 18-year-old Michael Shane Bargo shoot Seath. He later admitted that he, his sister and friends had planned the crime and lured Seath to his death, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Hooper told deputies that the plans for the crime began to come together as he, Amber Wright, Bargo,18-year-old Charlie Kay Ely and 20-year-old Justin Soto were at Ely's house on Southeast 53rd Avenue in Summerfield on Sunday.

After Bargo said how much he hated Seath, the group hatched its deadly plot to lure Seath to the house, according to arrest affidavits filed in the case.

It's unclear why Bargo so disliked the boy. Seath indicated on his Facebook page that he thought Amber Wright and an older boy he called "Mike" were in a romantic relationship.

Wright and Ely called Seath to try to get him to the house Sunday, but he declined at first, infuriating Bargo. After a barrage of text messages and phone calls from Wright, Seath finally arrived at the home that afternoon, according to the documents.

As soon as Seath entered the house, Bargo, Hooper and Soto began to hit him in the head with wooden objects. Ely told detectives that she ran into her bedroom after she saw Hooper hit Seath.

Bargo shot Seath several times with a .22-caliber revolver, according to the arrest documents. As Seath tried to leave the house, Soto tackled him, and Bargo shot him again, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Amber watched the killing, according to the documents.

The teens and Soto then placed Seath's body in a bathtub so Bargo could break Seath's knees in order to hogtie him and place him in a sleeping bag more easily. Soto said he and Bargo realized that Seath was still alive, so Bargo shot the boy again, according to the documents. Seath's body was then placed into a blue bag.

Soto said at that point he helped look for firewood, and the group then burned Seath's body in a fire pit in the backyard until it was just ashes and bone fragments.

They used a shovel to scrape Seath's remains from the fire pit and dumped them into several 5-gallon paint cans, according to the documents.

The group cleaned the house with bleach, according to the documents. Ely denied any involvement in the killing, disposal of the body or cleanup, according to the arrest documents.

Later, they played basketball, neighbors said Wednesday.

Neighbors, who did not want to be identified, said three of the murder suspects had just moved into the quiet neighborhood. Other than saying the suspects played loud music, residents said theydo not recall much about the occupants.

"It's just so shocking," said one woman, who recalled seeing Soto playing basketball on a neighborhood hoop with her children Sunday. Another homeowner, who also did not want to be identified, said Soto rode the school bus to Belleview High School with her teens last year but later dropped out of school.

Search for remains continues

On Wednesday afternoon, investigators were rummaging through the backyard of the small peach-colored mobile home that Ely, Soto and Bargo rented together. Evidence markers and blue tarps were placed all around the home where detectives think clues still remain. A red teddy bear and notes were stapled to a utility pole in front of the home as a small memorial to Seath.

According to the arrest documents, Soto told deputies that Bargo was responsible for moving the paint cans with Seath's remains from the property to another location.

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Hooper said he thought the shovel used to move Seath's remains and the .22-caliber revolver Bargo used to kill him might still be on the property, according to the documents.

Authorities say Havens knew about the plan in advance — and that he drove Bargo to Starke after the killing.

As he was released from jail Wednesday on bond, Havens said he hadn't believed that the group would actually go through with the crime — and that he was worried about his own future.

"I'm looking at a lot of years [in prison] right now," he told television reporters. "I'm scared."

Public records show that Hooper, Ely and Havens have no criminal history in the state of Florida. Amber was arrested in May on a domestic-violence battery charge, but the charge was dropped. Soto was arrested several times as a juvenile on charges including possession of a weapon on school property, aggravated battery and burglary. Bargo was arrested twice on burglary charges in summer 2010.

Late Wednesday, detectives were still searching for evidence and Seath's remains at the home where he was killed and at a lime pit in Ocala.

The Jackson family did not want to see anyone, neighbors said as they guarded the entrance to the wooded rural property where the family lives.

Carrie Williams, who said she was a friend of the Jacksons', told television reporters that she was with the parents when police broke the news of Seath's murder.

"The look in their face, it was just awful," Williams told WFTV-Channel 9. "Kids fight all the time, but how can you go and murder someone like that?"

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I saw this on JVM tonight and couldn't believe it. I think these teens did exactly what Elise and yes..Adam Baker did to poor Zahra. Teens are reading up on these horrific crimes and repeating them.

And, to think that the step-father of two of the alleged murderer's helped them cover this crime up is despicable!!

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SUMMERFIELD, Fla. — When Seath Tyler Jackson received a text message Sunday afternoon from a 15-year-old ex-girlfriend saying she wanted to rekindle their romance and that they should meet at a central Florida house, a female friend of Jackson's sensed something wasn't right.

"I wouldn't fall for that," 16-year-old Brittnay Jones told Jackson, she recalled to The Associated Press.

The 15-year-old Jackson ignored his friend's advice and went Sunday to a house in Summerfield, about 65 miles northwest of Orlando.

There, authorities said, he was fatally beaten and shot as a result of a plot to lure him there and kill him. Then, Jackson's body was stuffed into a sleeping bag and burned, and the remains were put in paint buckets and dumped at a remote lime rock pit, authorities allege.

Marion County sheriff's detectives said the way the defendants carried out the crime was "unlike anything they had ever seen."

Authorities on Tuesday night arrested six people in connection with the crime, charging five with first-degree murder. The five were being held without bond.
Investigators said in an arrest affidavit that five suspects had acknowledged varying roles in Jackson's death. Authorities said the 15-year-old girl and a woman, 18-year-old Charlie Kay Ely, acknowledged trying to persuade Jackson to come to the woman's house. Deputies also said the girl's brother, 16, and 20-year-old Justin Soto acknowledged participating in the attack on Jackson and alleged that 18-year-old Michael Bargo shot Jackson repeatedly with a .22-caliber revolver.

Authorities, as well as family and friends, said Bargo was dating Jackson's ex-girlfriend and had gotten into a fight with him several weeks ago.

The five were gathered at the house Sunday "when Michael Bargo began to speak of his hatred for the victim Seath Jackson," authorities wrote the 16-year-old boy told them. "The conversation then turned into a plan to lure Seath to the residence so that Michael Bargo could kill him with the assistance of other persons."

Authorities have also charged the stepfather of the minor suspects, 37-year-old James Young Havens III, with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. He was being held on $10,000 bond. The AP is not identifying the two youngest suspects because they are minors.

Investigators were searching Wednesday afternoon for remains in both the fire and lime rock pits, as well as for the murder weapon.

Bargo and some friends began plotting Jackson's death after the two fought several weeks ago, authorities said, and things moved quickly.

The plan called for Bargo's girlfriend to text Jackson, telling him that she wanted to get back together and that he should meet her at the house, authorities said. Ely and Soto were living at the house, and Bargo sometimes stayed there, according to court papers.

Authorities said Ely told them that she and the 15-year-old girl met with Jackson to try to get him "back to her residence so that the murder could take place." But Jackson didn't return with them due to a disagreement.

Ely told deputies "Michael Bargo was furious and demanded that the two get Juvenile Jackson to the house so that the plan could be carried out," according to the affidavit.

That's when the 15-year-old girl sent a text message to Jackson, authorities said.

Brittnay Jones told the AP that Jackson told her Sunday about the texts. Jackson's Facebook postings in early March displayed affection toward the girl whom he'd dated, but they turned angry toward the end of the month.
When Jackson arrived Sunday afternoon, authorities said Soto told them, Bargo and the 16-year-old boy emerged from a spare bedroom and "bum-rushed" and began to beat Jackson. The 16-year-old told authorities that he and Soto struck Jackson with wooden objects.

Bargo then shot Jackson several times, several defendants told investigators.
Authorities said Soto told them that when Jackson tried to escape, he struck him with an ax handle and restrained him. Investigators say Soto acknowledged helping place the victim in a bath tub, where he said Bargo beat his kneecaps and, realizing Jackson was still alive, shot him again.

Afterward, some group members hog-tied Jackson and put his body in a sleeping bag, which was placed in the backyard fire pit and burned for several hours, authorities said.

His ashes were then put into 5-gallon paint cans and disposed of, authorities said. The house was then scoured with bleach to get rid of the blood.

Havens told investigators he arrived after the slaying and helped put the ashes into the paint cans and get rid of other evidence, authorities said.

Jackson's parents reported him missing Monday, thinking he had run away. Authorities said they learned of the slaying Tuesday when Havens' wife called investigators to say her 16-year-old son had witnessed the slaying.

Bargo, Soto, Ely — who maintains she ran into the bedroom before any shots were fired — and the minor siblings were arrested hours later.

Phone messages left by the AP at listings for Bargo, Soto, Ely and Havens were not returned Wednesday. A phone number listed for the victim's parents was not in service. A woman who was standing outside the victim's home about three miles from the attack site told an AP reporter to leave.

Lacy Lyons, 18, described Jackson as a "good kid" who did well in school.
"He had the cutest little smile," Lyons said.

Court records show that Bargo had earlier charges of burglary and grand theft. Another court record showed that a woman had sought an injunction against Bargo to protect her son. The woman's phone number was disconnected.
Bargo's attorney for that case, Charles Holloman, said his client did not have a violent track record.

"He's had his scraps, just like a lot of kids growing up, but certainly nothing that rises to this level," Holloman said.

Jones, the friend who tried to stop Jackson from going to the house, said the killing should never have happened.

"It's just boys and their stupid fights," Jones said. "It's just who wants to be the bigger man."

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Six people have been accused of brutally murdering a 15-year-old boy who was lured to a home, beaten, shot dead, burned, shovelled into paint cans and thrown in a dumpster.

The remains of Seath Tyler Jackson, from Marion County, have yet to be found but deputies have arrested six suspects ranging in ages from 15 to 37 in connection with his death.

Authorities say that Seath was lured to a home in Summerfield on Sunday night by his ex-girlfriend Amber Wright, 15, who had been texting him 'non-stop' claiming she wanted to get back together with him.

Detectives said it was all part of the carefully constructed plan to kill the teenager.

Disturbing: Seath Tyler Jackson was brutally murdered and his body burned in a pit. His remains were then shovelled into paint cans and thrown in a dumpster
Once inside the home, he was hit in the head with a wooden object and was shot multiple times with a .22 calibre , according to detectives. When Seath tried to escape, he was tackled, held down and shot again.
His body was then placed in a bath tub and his knee caps were broken. According to the report, when he was in the bathtub he started showing signs of life and was shot again.

He was then tied up, placed in a sleeping bag and burned in a fire pit.

Deputies said his remains were then shovelled into five-gallon paint containers and thrown into a dumpster.

According to WFTV, Seath's parents reported him missing on Monday and thought he had run away.
Yesterday, the mother of 16-year-old Kyle Hooper told the sheriff's office that her son had witnessed the murder.

The teenager, who has been charged with murder, later allegedly told detectives that the group carefully plotted and carried out the crime.

He allegedly told detectives that the house Seath was killed in had been cleaned with bleach and his remains shovelled from the fire pit.

Scene: 13896 S.E. 53rd Avenue in Summerfield, where Seath Jackson was murdered on Sunday
Amber Wright, 15, Kyle Hooper, 16, Charlie Kay Ely, 18, Michael Shane Bargo, 18, Justin Soto, 20, and 37-year-old James Young Havens III have all been arrested.
Havens is the step-father of Wright and Hooper. He is charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. The others are charged with first-degree murder.
Hooper, Ely, Wright and 20-year-old Justin Soto admitted their roles in the gruesome killing, according to the affidavit.

According to WFTV, investigators believe Bargo was the ring leader in the slaying of Seath Jackson and that he wanted to kill the 15-year-old simply because he 'hated him'.

It was also believed to have been part of the break up between Seath and Amber Wright.

Hooper, Wright, Ely, Soto and Bargo were all involved in the planning and luring of Jackson to the home, deputies said.
Hooper allegedly told detectives that he witnessed Bargo shoot Jackson.

Deputies said Havens was aware of the plan to kill Jackson and that he assisted in disposing of the remains. He also gave Bargo a ride to the city of Starke in an effort to avoid being caught, deputies said.

When Bargo was asked today by a reporter if he was innocent while he was being led away by authorities, he gave the middle finger.

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What the heck is going on with so many of our kids today. There is a coarseness in society -the vulgarity I see in the movies and on TV, the social isolation of texting and facebook where anything can be said and done with no limits - seem to me to be contributing factors here.We are falling behind in education behind so many other countries. The lack of civility in so many kids today, as if no one bothers with manners anymore.
IIm glad I dont have to raise any more kids in todays world.

You said it all, Art!!

Search Continues For Teen's Remains After Brutal Slaying

Search For Remains Continues After Teen's Murder
Posted: 6:09 am EDT April 21, 2011
Updated: 9:49 am EDT April 21, 2011

MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- The search continues on Thursday for the remains of a 15-year-old boy who was beaten and shot to death before being stuffed into a sleeping bag, burned in a bonfire and dumped into water, according to deputies in Marion County.

AT THE SCENE: Images Of Home, Friends
SEE PHOTO: 5-Gallon Paint Bucket
WALK: Ely/Soto | Bargo | Wright/Hooper | Havens
IMAGES: Teens In Custody | Mug Shots
AFFIDAVITS: Bargo | Ely | Havens | Soto | Hooper

Investigators said Seath Jackson was lured to a house by his ex-girlfriend then beaten by a group of teens. Six people were arrested, including Jackson’s 15-year-old ex-girlfriend, Amber Wright. They're accused of killing Jackson in a Summerfield home on S.E. 53rd Avenue in Marion County on Sunday, and then trying to cover up the crime.

Detectives said Wright texted Jackson, telling him she wanted to get back together as part of a plan to lure him to the home.

Once Jackson was inside the home, he was hit in the head with some kind of wooden object and was shot multiple times, according to detectives. When Jackson made an attempt to leave the house, he was tackled, held and shot again, deputies said.

According to a sheriff's office report, Jackson's body was placed in a bathtub and his knee caps were broken. His body was hog tied and then placed into a sleeping bag and then burned in bonfire, the report states. Jackson's remains were then shoveled into several 5-gallon paint barrels that had cinder blocks attached and dumped into the water at a local lime quarry, detectives said.

On Tuesday night, deputies arrested Wright, 18-year-old Charlie Kay Ely, 18-year-old Michael S. Bargo, 20-year-old Justin Soto, and 16-year-old Kyle Hooper, who is Wright's brother, and charged them with first-degree murder. Wright's stepfather, 37-year-old James Havens, was also arrested and charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

According to investigators, Bargo was the mastermind behind the murder plot.

Deputies said Havens overheard the teens talking about the murder, but said he didn't take it seriously. After he learned what happened, deputies said he helped them cover up the murder. Havens was released on a $10,000 bond on Wednesday morning, according to the sheriff's office.

The community is absolutely shocked by the brutality of Jackson's death and even investigators said they've never seen anything like it.

Jackson's Facebook page may give an inside look into the motive for the gruesome crime.
In a series of profanity-laced messages between Jackson and Wright two weeks ago, he accused her of cheating.

She wrote: "You continuously write s**t about me."
Jackson responded: "I said I was done with you, and you should be done with me."

"It takes a real man to accept the fact that he got broke up with," Wright posted.

Friends and family of Jackson’s gathered on Wednesday night for a candlelight vigil. A new Facebook page was created for the teen, titled R.I.P. Seath Tyler Jackson.

Some of the paint containers with Jackson's remains were found by detectives on Wednesday. Detectives and crime scene investigators will continue the search at the home and at the quarry on Thursday.

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Accessory After the Fact to Murder and released on a $10K bond! And people wonder WHY these creeps keep committing these heinous crimes.

Judge Denies Bond For Michael Bargo

POSTED: 10:18 am EDT April 22, 2011
UPDATED: 10:36 am EDT April 22, 2011

SUMMERFIELD, Fla. -- One of the six suspects accused of beating and mutilated Seath Jackson, 15, of Belleview, before burning and dumping his body spoke out in a jailhouse interview on Thursday.

Charlie Ely said she feels sorry for the victim, and claims she participated in the killing out of fear.

"They said that I'd be killed and it wasn't just a threat," Ely said. "It was a gun pointed in my face and everything."

On the Thursday, the accused mastermind of the slaying appeared in court. A judge denied bond for Michael Bargo, 18, who authorities said was the mastermind behind the crime.

"I hope they get the electric chair and burn," said Billie Thorington, a mother of Jackson's friend. "We can all sit and watch them."

Thorington voiced what she felt should happen to the six Summerfield residents who were charged with the slaying of Jackson on Sunday.

"Potentially, you are facing the death penalty," a judge said on Thursday. "Do you have an attorney?"

Bargo faced the judge with gashes on his eye and forehead. Investigators told WESH 2 News that he had the cuts when they arrested him.

The victim's ex-girlfriend, Amber Wright, 15, who is a ninth-grader at Belleview High School; her brother, Kyle Hooper, 16; and their stepfather, James Havens, 47, were also arrested and face first-degree murder charges, as well as Charlie Ely, 18; and Justin Soto, 20.

The suspects told police that the victim tried to run from the home after Bargo shot him and was still alive, even after the group dragged him into a bathtub and broke his knee caps to stuff him in a sleeping bag.

Friends said they believe he fought for his life.

"Seath was a fighter," said friend Stephen Connolly. "I hope Seath messed them all up."

Wright and her brother remain in juvenile detention. Their stepfather, accused of helping to cover up the crime, has been released on bond.

The four suspects, all charged as adults, will be back in court on May 24.

"At this point, we feel we've made all the arrests necessary," Marion County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Rhonda Stoup said. "If more information comes forth, we'll take appropriate action."

Jackson was killed inside a home on Southeast 53rd Street in Summerfield. Investigators said he was lured to the house and hit on the head with a wooden object before being shot multiple times and placed in a sleeping bag and burned in a fire pit.

Authorities said his remains were placed in three five-gallon paint containers, which have been recovered and were sent to the University of Florida for analysis.
"We haven't found the weapon at this point," Stoup said. "We are following some leads. We do believe we may know where it's at."

Bargo and Soto, the teen accused of grabbing Jackson as he tried to run, were placed on suicide watch at the jail.

"Maybe he wants to actually die so he doesn't have to remember anything," said Jackson's friend Casey Sudberry.

The judge also ruled Bargo should have no contact with the other defendants.

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Must-see video I can't embed.

Seath Jackson case: Five indicted for brutal torture, slaying of Florida teen

May 4th, 2011 8:17 pm ET

By Cindy Adams

Ocala, Fla. – On Wednesday, five people were indicted for murder in connection with the brutal killing of Florida teen, Seath Jackson.

Authorities say Seath, 15, was savagely slain on Apr. 17 after being lured to a home in Summerfield, Florida by his former girlfriend, Amber Wright, 15, who was waiting for him along with four others -- Michael Bargo, 18; Justin Soto, 20; Kyle Hooper, 16; and Charlie Ely, 18. Once he arrived, police say he was beaten, shot, and his body was then burned in a backyard fire pit.

James Havens, 37, is accused of helping to hide Seath’s remains in various paint containers. Wright and Hooper are siblings and Havens is their stepfather.

Seath once dated Wright, who apparently left him for Bargo, the man police say is the mastermind behind the murder and who acted as the gunman. Authorities believe Bargo was fueled by hatred and jealousy regarding Seath.

Bargo was indicted for first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm, while Soto, Hooper, Ely, and Wright were each charged with first-degree premeditated murder. Although Hooper and Wright are both minors, they were indicted as adults due to the vicious nature of the murder.

Havens was arrested for helping hide Seath’s remains, but was released from jail after he posted bond just days after the crime. He is charged with being an accessory to first-degree murder after the fact, but has yet to enter a plea to the charge.

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Wrapitup wrote:Seath Jackson case: Five indicted for brutal torture, slaying of Florida teen

May 4th, 2011 8:17 pm ET

By Cindy Adams

Ocala, Fla. – On Wednesday, five people were indicted for murder in connection with the brutal killing of Florida teen, Seath Jackson.

Authorities say Seath, 15, was savagely slain on Apr. 17 after being lured to a home in Summerfield, Florida by his former girlfriend, Amber Wright, 15, who was waiting for him along with four others -- Michael Bargo, 18; Justin Soto, 20; Kyle Hooper, 16; and Charlie Ely, 18. Once he arrived, police say he was beaten, shot, and his body was then burned in a backyard fire pit.

James Havens, 37, is accused of helping to hide Seath’s remains in various paint containers. Wright and Hooper are siblings and Havens is their stepfather.

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BBM - So the ex gf and her brother help dream up this horrid plot to kill this boy and their Step Dad helps ride the remains. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree in this family. I still don't understand why the only adult is out on bond, he belongs locked up with his kids.

Casey Anthony attorney now involved in Seath Jackson murder case

By Vishal Persaud
Staff writer
Published: Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 5:31 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 5:31 p.m.

The trial for the brother and sister accused of devising a plan and aiding in the murder of 15-year-old Seath Jackson in Summerfield last year is scheduled to begin on June 4.

Status hearing in Seath murder case
Kyle Hooper, 17, and Amber Wright, 16, face life in prison on first-degree murder charges for their alleged roles in the murder plot.

Circuit Judge David Eddy decided in late January to try the teens together with separate six-member juries.

Because of their ages, Hooper and Wright do not face the death penalty, although the state is seeking that punishment for the alleged mastermind of the murder, Michael Bargo.

Those three, along with Charlie Kay Ely and Justin Soto, are accused of luring Seath Jackson to Ely's home, and then beating and shooting him to death before throwing his body into a pit outside the house on April 17, 2011.

Investigators believe Bargo scooped Jackson's remains from the pit into five-gallon paint cans and disposed of them in a limerock pit in a neighboring town. Jackson and Wright had dated at one point, and investigators believe Bargo concocted the plan to exact revenge on Jackson for physically abusing Wright during the relationship.

Hooper and Wright appeared during the brief status conference on Wednesday, emotionless and quiet. Hooper appeared deep in thought, while his half-sister's face was shrouded by her long auburn hair.

The state has not yet decided on whether to pursue the death penalty against Soto. His case was continued until later this year. And Bargo is scheduled to appear in court on April 25.

Ely has already been tried and found guilty. She is currently serving a life sentence at the Broward Correctional Institution in Fort Lauderdale. But her new Orlando-based attorney, Jose Baez, filed a notice of appeal in Marion County court on March 15.

Baez famously represented Casey Anthony, who was acquitted of killing daughter Caylee following a weeks-long trial that captivated the nation last year.

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I still get sick when I read this

Baez famously represented Casey Anthony, who was acquitted of killing daughter Caylee following a weeks-long trial that captivated the nation last year.

Seath Jackson Murder One Year Ago
Published April 17th, 2012

TV20 Exclusive:
It was a horrific murder.

April 17th marks exactly one year since 15-year-old Seath Jackson was killed inside a Summerfield home.
"I took my left, he took his right," Seath Jackson's best friend, William Samalot told TV20 as he walked down the same road he and Jackson did before he was killed. "I said, 'I'll see you tomorrow man, and he was like, alright.' Last I saw him."

Moments after they said goodbye, Jackson would head towards the very home where he was beaten, and shot. His body burned in a fire pit in the back of Charlie Ely's house.

"I come walking down the road, and I saw smoke, and thought somebody was burning garbage as normal," a neighbor told TV20 as he recalled the night of April 17th, 2011.

Ely's home is now occupied by new owners. They have painted the house and put up a fence.

"I miss him a lot," Samalot said. "Every time I look down this road, I think of Seath, you know, and all the good times we had."

The homes of the other teens accused in the murder are just blocks away from where Jackson was killed.

One year later, Charlie Ely is a convicted killer sentenced to live the rest of her life behind bars. Casey Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez will now represent her during her appeal.

The trial for the rest of those involved will begin in the next couple of months.

But Samalot had a message for the alleged ring leader, Micheal Bargo, "I hope you spend you life in jail, or I hope you get the death penalty," Samalot said. "And hope you feel the same pain Seath did that night when you tortured and killed him."

Samulot said that the new owners of the home where Jackson was killed plan on building him a memorial at the site of the fire pit.

A vigil was also scheduled for the evening of April 17th in front of the home where Jackson was killed.

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Defendants in the murder of 15-year-old Seath Jackson: Amber Wright, Justin Soto, Charlie Ely, Kyle Hooper and Michael Bargo. (File photos)

By Vishal Persaud
Staff writer
Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 3:33 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 3:33 p.m.

OCALA - In a sudden reversal, Justin Soto, one of the five defendants accused in the murder last year of 15-year-old Seath Jackson, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder.

Circuit Judge David Eddy sentenced him to life in prison.

Soto, 21, had entered a written plea of not guilty plea after he was arrested in April 2011. He and four others - Michael Bargo, 20; Amber Wright, 16; Kyle Hooper, 17; and Charlie Kay Ely, 19 - were accused of luring Jackson back to Ely's home in Summerfield, where he was beaten and shot. Jackson's body was burned in a pit. His remains were then put in paint cans and thrown into a limerock pit near Ocala.

According to Hooper's account of the April 17, 2011 murder, Soto helped Bargo hold Jackson down as Bargo shot the teen several times outside the Summerfield house. Soto then is accused of helping Bargo drag him back into the house, where they hogtied his lifeless body in the bathroom. Then it was thrown into the pit to burn.

Wright and Hooper are scheduled to stand trial together next week. Ely was convicted last fall and sentenced to life in prison.

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That poor kid!!

Two of five teens accused in teen’s murder expected to appear in court

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Two of five Marion County teens accused of murdering another teenager are expected to be in court on Monday. Siblings Amber Wright,16, and Kyle Hooper,17, are both facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of Seath Jackson. Investigators said they were part of the group of five people who lured 15-year-old Jackson to a home in Summerfield where he was beaten and shot in April 2011. Investigators said his body was then burned and his remains were packed into paint cans and thrown into a pit. So far, Justin Soto and Charlie Ely have been sentenced to life in prison. Ely plans to appeal her decision with Casey Anthony’s former attorney Jose Baez representing her. Legal experts expect Wright and Hooper to receive the same strict punishment. The co-defendants claimed they were not the masterminds behind the murder plot. The alleged ringleader, Michael Bargo, is still waiting on his trial to begin.
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MARION COUNTY, Fla. -
The trial for the two siblings charged in connection to the slaying of a Marion County teen will likely start on Wednesday.

Kyle Hooper, 17, and his sister, Amber Wright, 16, will be tried together in the same courtroom, but with two separate juries.

They are both accused of taking part in the murder of 15-year-old Seath Jackson, who was beaten and shot to death in 2011.


Wright, Jackson's ex-girlfriend, was in court on Tuesday as six jurors were selected for her trial. Wright's brother, Hooper, had his six jurors selected on Monday. The two separate juries will hear much of a same evidence, but on a few occasions, one jury may be asked to step outside while witnesses talk about the other defendant, according to the state attorney's office.

Authorities say Wright and a friend sent text messages to Jackson to lure him to a Summerfield home, where three other men allegedly beat, tied up and shot the teen. Arrest reports say Jackson's body was burned, and his remains were placed into paint cans and tossed into a limestone pit.

A Marion County judge sentenced one of the other five co-defendants in Seath's murder, 21-year-old Justin Soto, last week after he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.

Still facing first-degree murder charges in addition to Hooper and Wright is 20-year-old Michael Bargo, who authorities identified as the shooter. The fifth suspect, 19-year-old Charlie Kay Ely, received a life sentence last fall.

Watch Local 6 for more on this story.
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There is a video I can't embed or post.

Crime scene evidence presented on Day 2 of Hooper-Wright trial

By Vishal Persaud
Staff writer
Published: Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 1:14 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 1:14 p.m.

Prosecutors presented much of their forensic crime scene evidence Thursday in the joint murder trial of a brother and sister charged in the April 2011 murder of 15-year-old Seath Jackson.

Kyle Hooper, 17, and Amber Wright, 16, are being tried together in Ocala, with separate six-member juries. They face life in prison if found guilty for their alleged roles in the murder. On Thursday, an official with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office testified that they examined cellphones belonging Hooper and Wright to look for any evidence linking the teens to the murder. Forensic crime scene technicians also testified about collecting blood samples from the Summerfield home where authorities believe the murder occurred. Prosecutors showed numerous photos and parts of a video that scoured every crevice of the crime scene - showing the inside of the house where the murder occurred and the outside yard. On cross-examination by David Mengers, Hooper’s defense attorney, one crime scene technician said she collected blood samples but no other DNA evidence at the scene. Mengers’ line of questioning indicated that none of the evidence collected pointed to Hooper's involvement in the scheme. The brother and sister - with Michael Bargo, 20; Justin Soto, 21; and Charlie Kay Ely, 19 - are accused of hatching a plot to lure Seath back to Ely’s Summerfield home.

Prosecutors believe Wright helped lure Seath back to the home, and Hooper helped beat him and started the fire that his body was thrown into. Authorities have said Bargo was the group’s ringleader and actually killed the boy with help from the four co-defendants. Seath was shot several times. Then his body was mutilated and thrown into a fire pit outside the home. Authorities believe Bargo then scooped the remains into five-gallon paint buckets and threw them into a limerock pit.

Ely was convicted last year and sentenced to life in prison. Soto pleaded guilty to first-degree murder last month and also received a life sentence.

The case against Bargo is pending.

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Updated: 6:14 p.m. Friday, June 8, 2012 | Posted: 5:47 p.m. Friday, June 8, 2012
Testimony continues for siblings accused of killing teen
MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Testimony continued on Friday for a brother and sister who are accused of killing a teen in Marion County.

Prosecutors said Kyle Hooper and Amber Wright were part of a five-person plot to kill 15-year-old Seath Jackson.

On Friday, one of the teens already convicted of murder in the case took the stand.

Prosecutors said Charlie Ely was a key figure in the plot to kill Jackson, and they've already sent her to prison for it.

But she was called back to Marion County court to help her co-defendants.

With shackles on her wrists and ankles, 19-year-old Ely shuffled through the courtroom and took the stand.

"Miss Ely, you were present in the house on the day Seath Jackson was killed?" Ely was asked.

"I'd rather not answer that," Ely said.

Ely refused to testify, just as she did at her own trial.

Prosecutors said Jackson was shot to death in Ely's home, and she was part of the group that plotted the killing.

Attorneys for Hooper and Wright acknowledge the siblings were at the house when Jackson was killed but said they did not take part in the killing. Ely, however, refused to confirm that.

"At that time, did you hear Kyle Hooper, before Seath Jackson was killed say, 'Get the f*** out of the house?'" Ely was asked in court.

"I'd like to remain silent," Ely said.

Prosecutors said because of Wright's hatred of Jackson, she lured him to Ely's house where he was beaten and shot. Prosecutors said his body was then burned and stuffed into 5-gallon paint drums and dumped into a flooded rock quarry.

The medical examiner said bullet fragments were found in the remains.

"The X-ray depicts several bits of bone and soft tissue, as well as an apparent projectile," said medical examiner Dr. Kyle Shaw.

But it was Ely's silence on the stand that may have hurt the defense of the siblings.

"Miss Ely, if any further questions were asked of you, would that be your response to each and every question asked?" Judge David Eddy asked.

"Yes, sir," said Ely.

On Monday, the judge will decide whether to force Ely to testify.

Hooper and Wright face life in prison if convicted.

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video at above link.

OCALA, Fla. -- A north Florida girl has been convicted of participating in a teen's slaying.

A Marion County jury found 16-year-old Amber Wright guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder.

Wright is one of five people accused in the April 2011 death of 15-year-old Seath Jackson.

Authorities say Jackson was lured to a Summerfield home, where he was beaten, tied up and shot. Arrest reports say Jackson's body was burned, and his remains were placed into buckets and tossed into a lime pit.

Wright was tried with her brother, 17-year-old Kyle Hooper, but the siblings had separate juries.

Last fall, 19-year-old Charlie Kay Ely, received a life sentence, and 21-year-old Justin Soto received the same sentence last month.

Still facing a first-degree murder charge is 20-year-old Michael Bargo, who authorities identified as the shooter.

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By Vishal Persaud
Staff writer
Published: Monday, June 11, 2012 at 10:13 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, June 11, 2012 at 12:42 p.m.

Prosecutors played recorded video interviews Monday in which Kyle Hooper and Amber Wright admitted to their roles in the killing of 15-year-old Seath Jackson last year.

In one recorded interview, a shackled Wright confirms to Detective Rhonda Stroup of the Marion County Sheriff's Office how the plan to kill Seath came together on the afternoon of April 17, 2011.

"The plan came together in a matter of two minutes," said Wright to Stroup.

Wright, 16, is being tried with her brother, Hooper, 17, in a joint trial with separate six-member juries. The siblings — along with Michael Bargo Jr., 20; Justin Soto, 21; and Charlie Kay Ely, 19 — are accused of luring Seath to Ely's Summerfield home, where they beat and shot him. They mutilated Seath's body and burned it in a pit outside the home. His remains then were scooped into five-gallon paint buckets and thrown into a limerock quarry.

In the recorded interview, Wright admitted sending Seath text messages and calling him to ask that he come over to the Summerfield house.

Stroup asked Wright if the plan was for her and Ely to lure Seath back to the house and have the boys — Hooper, Bargo and Soto — take care of the rest.

Wright nodded slightly.

After they lured Seath back the house, Wright said Hooper and Bargo allegedly attacked Seath, but she said she and Ely ran into Ely's room and locked themselves in a bathroom attached to the bedroom. She said she heard gunshots and commotion while locked inside the bathroom.

After the gunshots, Wright said, Bargo came into the bedroom and told her and Ely that he would kill them if they said anything to anyone.

Wright said Bargo told them: "If you say anything or even come out of this room, there will be two extra bodies."

In a separate video interview, also with Stroup, Hooper filled in the details Wright didn't see while she was locked in the bathroom.

When Seath came into the house, Hooper told Stroup that he and Soto hit the boy over the head with parts of a door frame. As Seath attempted to rush out of the house, Bargo came out of his room and shot him twice in the back, Hooper said.

Soto rushed after Seath and, outside the house, grabbed him and choked him, and Bargo shot him in the head, he said.

Hooper admitted that he helped Bargo drag Seath's lifeless body back into the house, and Soto and Bargo took the body into the house's other bathroom.

"He (Bargo) asked for me to help. I was scared. I was panicking. I didn't know what to do," Hooper said in one of two interviews he had with the detective.

He said he heard more gunshots inside the bathroom as he ran in and out of the house in a panic. At one point, Hooper said he walked into the bathroom and saw Bargo trying to break Seath's knee caps so he could hogtie his body and stuff it into a sleeping bag.

Bargo and Soto took the body outside and threw it into the fire they had all helped build, while Hooper said he stayed inside and cleaned the bathtub of blood.

Wright also said in her interview that she came out of the bathroom in Ely's room to briefly help clean blood off of a door.

Both Hooper and Wright said they agreed to the plan and had Bargo carry out the murder. Hooper said Bargo assured him that he would take all the blame for the murder.

"I wanted him dead, but I didn't want to do it, and I didn't want nothing to happen over at Charlie's house," Hooper said.

Dressed in a black suit and tie, Hooper held his bowed head in his palm while the recorded interview played in court.

At the end of her interview, Wright began to cry, admitting that she had feelings for Michael Bargo, but never thought things would turn out the way they did.

" ‘Cause the thing is I've had strong feelings for him since I've been with him, and I never thought it would come to this," she said. "I never thought he'd put me in this situation."

The state rested their case against Wright Monday afternoon, after she decided not to testify. Her defense attorney did not present any evidence in her case.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Wright's case this morning and her brother's case will continue in the afternoon.

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Two different juries find a brother and sister both guilty in the murder of 15-year-old Seath Jackson.
Amber Wright broke down when she heard the jury found her guilty of luring her ex-boyfriend, Seath Jackson, to a Marion County home.

Kyle Hooper looked a little nervous when he took the stand the first time, but he appeared on the verge of hyperventilating when he had to go back up there after seeing his 16-year-old sister Amber Wright convicted of murder.

For most of their week-long murder trial, Hooper and Wright sat a few feet from each other.

But at the most critical moments of the teens’ defense, they were separated.

On the stand, Hooper explained what happened in a Marion County home after he hit 15-year-old Seath Jackson with a piece of wood.

“I seen Mike coming out of a room and I turned around,” Hooper said. “I told Seath to get out of the house. Mike started shooting at him.”

Meanwhile, Wright was in a holding cell, awaiting a verdict in her case.

The final arguments in her case were already made, including text messages from Jackson to Wright fearing she was setting him up to get jumped.

“She lured him there,” said Assistant State Attorney Robin Arnold. “She intended that he die.”

Wright broke down in tears as a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder for conspiring in the plan to kill her ex-boyfriend.

Moments later, a visibly shaken Hooper was back on the stand, trying to avoid the same fate.

“(You were supposed to hit him?) Yes ma’am,” Hooper said. “(And the reason you were supposed to hit him is Michael Bargo wanted Seath in a daze so he would know he was the one who shot him? Yes ma’am.”

In closing arguments Hooper's attorney argued that even though the teen hit Jackson, he didn't want him to die and didn't believe Bargo would go through with the shooting.

Jackson's body was later cut up, burned and then put in paint cans.

The jury began deliberating in Hooper’s case around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Sentencing dates have not been set for either teen, but they both face mandatory life sentences.
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What these kids did is horrific!! Looks like Bozo isn't doing such a great job in defending some of them. Go figure.

And, Seath's poor mother.

High court ruling affects local case

Hooper, Wright face life terms

By Vishal Persaud
Staff writer
Published: Monday, June 25, 2012 at 6:26 p.m.

The future sentences of the teenage brother and sister convicted of first-degree murder in the Seath Jackson case could be affected by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling announced Monday.

In a 5-4 decision, the court said mandatory life sentences for juveniles convicted of murder violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

Kyle Hooper, 17, and Amber Wright, 16, haven’t been sentenced yet. Before this ruling, Circuit Judge David Eddy likely would have imposed life prison terms for both, in accordance with Florida statutes.

But “now it’s going to be incumbent upon the judge to impose a sentence that is just and fair,” said David Mengers, Hooper’s defense attorney. “It’s up to the judge to determine what that is.”

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, Mengers said he likely will seek a pre-sentence investigation that Eddy can review. He said he hadn’t ordered the investigation before because it wouldn’t have made a difference in the judge’s decision. But now it could.

No sentencing date has been set yet. Hooper and Wright were found guilty of murder in a joint trial earlier this month. The siblings were accused of aiding in the April 2011 death of Seath, who was 15.

In the Supreme Court’s majority opinion, Justice Elena Kagan wrote of “the flaws of imposing mandatory life-without-parole sentences on juvenile homicide offenders.”

She wrote that “such mandatory penalties, by their nature, preclude a sentencer from taking account of an offender’s age and the wealth of characteristics and circumstances attendant to it.”

The opinion drew comment from many experts. “For new cases or for cases that are already in the system, it (the high court’s ruling) is going to make proceedings at the sentencing level very difficult,” said Michael Allen, a law professor at the Stetson University College of Law in Tampa.

Judges will have to look at each case on an individual basis and take into account the juvenile’s age and overall life circumstances. The Supreme Court did not provide any minimum or maximum sentencing guidelines for judges to follow.

Allen said that while it will take some time for sentencing proceedings to be adjusted in light of the ruling, judges who face these tough sentencing decisions could look at how the courts handle death penalty cases for guidance.

For instance, in Florida death penalty proceedings, there’s a whole phase of the trial during which defense attorneys present mitigating evidence. That’s when the judge hears about points in the defendant’s life when he or she faced adversity and his or her behavior was heavily influenced.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Stephen Breyer limited the court’s ruling to those juveniles who didn’t actively take part in murders, but were principals to the crime — as was the case with Hooper and Wright.

“Regardless of our law with respect to adults, there is no basis for imposing a sentence of life without parole upon a juvenile who did not himself kill or intend to kill,” Breyer wrote.

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Last Updated: Monday, July 23, 2012

MARION --
A Marion County judge is expected to set a trial date today for Michael Bargo.

The 20-year-old is accused of masterminding the beating and murder of 15-year-old Seath Jackson last year.

Earlier this month, Bargo's lawyers argued they didn't have enough time to prepare for certain motions in the case because those motions were mailed to their offices late.

Prosecutors said Bargo and four others lured Jackson to a home in Summerfield last year, beat him and then shot him dead.
According to investigators, Bargo pulled the trigger.

Detectives said Jackson’s body was then set on fire. His remains were placed into buckets and thrown in a lime pit.

Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty.

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Michael Bargo listens to his lawyer, Charles Holloman, in an Ocala courtroom in this Feb. 6 file photo. Bargo, who awaits trial in the murder of 15-year-old Seath Jackson, complained in an interview Tuesday about his treatment at the Marion County Jail.

Star-Banner File
By Joe Callahan
Staff writer
Published: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 6:54 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 6:54 p.m.

Accused murderer Michael Bargo Jr. claimed Tuesday he has been targeted for abuse by both inmates and corrections officers at the Marion County Jail since his arrest 15 months ago for allegedly murdering 15-year-old Seath Jackson in Summerfield.

Speaking publicly for the first time since he was charged with murder, Bargo said he has been repeatedly taunted by officers and attacked by inmates and has spent a third of his time in protective custody in a small cell known as "the box."

Jail officials reject Bargo's charge that he has been abused by officers, and even Bargo's attorney characterized his troubles in jail as minor.

But Bargo, who is facing a possible death sentence if convicted at trial later this year or next year, rattled off a series of abuses he claims he has endured.

He says corrections officers have spit in his food and that they've tried to humiliate him by reading letters from his loved ones aloud, causing other inmates to make fun of him.

Bargo also contends that officers once allowed an inmate in the recreation yard to beat him, leaving him with 10 stitches over his right eye.

Bargo said he has rejected numerous media requests for interviews until now because, "I'm not a big fan of the lies that have been printed to make me look like a monster ..."

He requested Tuesday's interview, however, in hopes that the abuse would stop, he said.

During the interview, Bargo declined to discuss his case or the events that led to Seath Jackson's death.

Handcuffed and shackled in a small interview cell at the jail, he said only that he's innocent of shooting, mutilating and burning Jackson and he wants the public to know he's not the monster portrayed in the media.

"I hope my case gets tried fairly," said Bargo, dressed in a red-and-white striped prison uniform. "I am innocent."

But while Bargo complains about being treated poorly in jail, jail officials say he has not been a model prisoner, either.

He has been in trouble six times and has been cited for violating 14 rules and regulations, mainly for disruptions and not obeying orders. He also was cited for fighting.

The most serious was a disciplinary referral for allegedly making a shank from a broken eyeglass lens.

Bargo said he was given 30 days in disciplinary confinement, or what is called the "box." There, inmates are allowed out for only 15 minutes a day to take a shower. He says his eyeglasses were broken by prison guards during a search of his cell.

Bargo also said he was disciplined for making his own tattoos of a skull with eyeballs and a dragon. He used a paper clip to scratch the outline into his skin and soot to color it in.

In all, Bargo has spent more than 5 months in disciplinary confinement, jail records show. He claims he's been unjustly targeted by officers. He says they tell him to plead guilty and the bullying will stop.

Maj. John Vowinkle, the division chief of the Marion County Sheriff's Office corrections division, said Bargo has not filed a grievance, which indicates that all of his complaints have been resolved.

Vowinkle said Bargo's own behavior, not a vendetta by officers, is to blame for the many months he has spent in the "box."

Bargo's attorney, Charles Holloman, said his client's complaints are fairly minor. He noted that jail officials placed Bargo in protective custody after he was hurt in a fight, which shows they feel a duty to protect him.

But Holloman doesn't doubt that some of the officers feel animosity toward his client.

"I'm sure that none of the guards want to cuddle up with him in a hot shower and swap spit," he said.

Holloman also noted that the glass shank allegation did not rise to the level of being criminal. If it had, the State Attorney's Office would have filed additional charges against him.

"He's been very gentile, very compassionate and has been very cooperative with my investigators," Holloman said. Given that, Holloman is hard-pressed to explain how his client gets into so much trouble in jail.

"That's not the man I have been dealing with," he said.

Meanwhile, Bargo's case continues to move slowly through the court system. Although a trial date hasn't been set, Holloman's said he expects the case to be heard later this year.

Seath Jackson was beaten and shot to death, then his body was tossed into a backyard fire, according to investigators. His remains were shoveled into paint cans and discarded in a pit. Bargo and five juveniles were charged in the death.

Two of Bargo's co-defendants — Kyle Hooper, 17, and Hooper's sister, Amber Wright, 16 — were found guilty in June.

Justin Soto, 21, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison in late May. Charlie Kay Ely, 19, was found guilty at trial last year and is serving a life sentence.

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Seriously he wants us to feel sorry for him?

WESH.com
updated 1 hour 51 minutes ago

Two siblings convicted of murder in the death of an Ocala boy will learn how long they will have to spend in jail on Wednesday.

A judge will sentence Amber Wright and Kyle Hooper at an afternoon hearing. They could be sentenced to life in prison.
Wright and Hooper were part of a plot to kill Jackson, 15, in 2011. Jackson was severely beaten, then shot and burned.
A third person, Charlie Eli, is already spending life in prison for her role in the teen’s killing.

The alleged ring leader of the plot is still awaiting trial.

The sentence will come down at a 1:30 hearing. Stay with WESH for updates.

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Hooper, Wright get life in prison in teen's death

Kyle Hooper, 17, and his sister, Amber Wright, have been sentenced to life in prison without parole for 15-year-old Seath Jackson's death.

A jury found Hooper and Wright guilty of murder in June.

They are among the five people accused of luring Jackson to a home in Summerfield last year where he was beaten and shot to death.

The judge said the crime was the "coldest, most calculated, premeditated murder he's ever seen."

Hooper's family is devastated. At the sentencing, his family cried while Jackson's father gave his wife a kiss on the head.

Hooper's family wanted a different sentence, saying he is gullible, a follower, a good person, has found religion and is immature.

Jackson's mother said her son's death was not an accident, it was planned. She says he's "lucky we're not following the Bible and want an eye for an eye."

A third person, Charlie Eli, is already spending life in prison for her role in the teen’s killing.

The alleged ringleader of the plot, Michael Bargo, is still awaiting trial.

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The Associated Press
Published: Thursday, Sep. 6, 2012 - 9:09 am

OCALA, Fla. -- A judge in Ocala has ruled that a 38-year-old man isn't competent to stand trial in the 2011death of a teenager.

James Young Havens III faces up to 30 years in prison for an accessory after the fact to murder charge. Circuit Judge David Eddy ruled Wednesday that Havens will have to undergo treatment.

Four people have received life sentences in the death of 15-year-old Seath Jackson. Twenty-year-old Michael Bargo faces the death penalty in a trial scheduled for February.

Prosecutors say Jackson was lured to a home where he was beaten, tied up and shot. Arrest reports say his body was burned and his remains were put into buckets and tossed into a lime pit.

The Ocala Star-Banner ( [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] reports Havens has been out on bail since April 2010.

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One by one, Jackson’s killers go to prison

By Joe Callahan
Staff writer
Published: Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 9:56 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 9:56 p.m.

Four of the five people accused of killing 15-year-old Seath Jackson pleaded guilty or were convicted in 2012 and were sentenced to life in prison.

Prosecutors claim that five rivals lured Seath to a Summerfield home, then beat and shot him and burned his remains in a backyard fire.

Amber Wright, 16, Kyle Hooper, 18, and Charlie Kay Ely each received life sentences for their roles in the murder plot. Justin Soto, 21, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was also sentenced to life in prison.

Those convictions were the No. 8 local story of 2012. Each day, the Star-Banner has been counting down the Top 10 local stories as chosen by the newspaper’s staff.

The Seath Jackson murder was the top story of 2011.

Michael Bargo Jr., 20, the alleged ring leader, is still awaiting trial, which has been scheduled for February. He faces the death penalty if convicted. Bargo talked to the Star-Banner in July, stating that he was being mistreated in jail.

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