15-year-old Seath Tyler Jackson from Belleview, Florida, was murdered by Michael Bargo after being assaulted by his ex-girlfriend and three other boys.
Jackson was dating Amber Wright, also aged 15, who lived in the nearby town of Summerfield. However, their relationship grew sour, and Wright started to see 18-year-old Michael Bargo.
Enraged and disheartened by this development, Jackson began writing various posts on his Facebook page accusing Wright of cheating on him with Bargo. Although it is unclear if Wright and Bargo were dating, something was happening between them, and Jackson was not far off with his accusations.
Following his accusations, Jackson received a text from his ex-girlfriend saying she wanted to rekindle their relationship and invited him to meet at a central Florida house.
Learn About Florida Teenager Seath Jackson’s Murder
Although Jackson’s friend Brittnay Jones told him something didn’t feel right about Wright’s message, he still went.
On a Sunday afternoon, Jackson ignored his friend’s advice and went to a house in Summerfield, about 65 miles northwest of Orlando. When he arrived at the meeting, a group of five people, ranging from ages 15 to 20, ambushed the young boy.
The five people were Amber Wright, 15, Michael Bargo, 18, Justin Soto, 20, Charlie Ely, 18, and Wright’s brother Kyle Hoper. When Jackson arrived, he found the three young men, Bargo, Soto, and Kyle, waiting for him instead.
The three young men began brutally beating Jackson with wooden objects. Bargo had talked repeatedly about his hatred of Jackson, and to appease him, Wright and Ely had sent the reconciliatory message to Jackson.
After they beat Jackson, Bargo shot Jackson multiple times with a rifle. Jackson tried to flee numerous times until Soto held him down so that Bargo could continue to shoot him.
Following this, they put Jackson in a bathtub and attempted to break his kneecaps so they could stuff him in a sleeping bag. Jackson was still breathing, though, and once they noticed this, they reshot him.
Once they were sure the boy had died, they successfully stuffed him into a sleeping back and tossed it into a backyard fire pit already lit before Jackson arrived.
Following the murder, the five cleaned the house with bleach and shoveled Jackson’s ashes into paint cans.
Where Is Killer Michael Bargo?
Jackson’s parents reported him missing on Monday after he had been gone the entire day before.
Initially, the police were stumped and could not figure out where the boy was. It wasn’t until Hooper told his mother about the murder that the police finally found out.
Wright, Soto, Ely, and Hooper were all arrested following Hooper’s confession to his mother, and following the arrest, Wright, Soto, and Ely admitted to their part as well. The authorities charged all four with first-degree murder.
It took a while longer to catch Bargo as he had hitched a ride with 37-year-old James Haven, Wright and Hooper’s stepfather. Haven had gotten involved because he had helped dispose of young Jackson’s ashes.
Bargo was eventually caught in a town an hour and a half away and arrested. Haven was arrested as well and charged as an accessory to murder.
Will Michael Bargo Remain As Death Row Inmate?
Michael Bargo, the one who pulled the trigger that killed Jackson and the ring leader of the operation, faces the death penalty.
At the court proceeding, Bargo lied and stated that he had nothing to do with Jackson’s death. He reported that he saw a fire but didn’t tell anyone that his friends had killed Jackson as he feared for his life.
Luckily, two state witnesses testified that Bargo admitted to participating in Jackson’s murder. Bargo was then convicted and sentenced to the death penalty.
The court has not executed Bargo; however, he is still a death row inmate. Recently, in 2019, there was a resentencing to overturn his death penalty, but the jury unanimously recommended a death sentence.
Of the rest, now called Summerfield 6, Charlie Ely was sentenced to life in prison but was set free after serving nine years in 2020. Justin Soto is currently serving life in prison.
Singlings Amber Wright and Kyle Hopper were sentenced to life in prison but without parole. And lastly, James Haven, their stepfather, was ruled incompetent to stand trial.