Pre-meditated murder is always a senseless, and unnecessary course of action. This is especially so when the plot involves the murder of a teenager who simply wanted to make amends.
Seath Jackson was born in January of 1996 to his loving parents, Sonia and Scott. He got along with his two brothers, and worked hard to achieve his goals. Seath dreamed of becoming a UFC fighter, and while he worked hard towards that future, he was mostly known for being a kindhearted teenager.
He loved hanging out with his friends and family, and going four-wheeling around his community of Summerfield, Florida. He was an animal lover, and a gentle soul.
In 2011, at the tender age of 15, Seath met the girl who would become his first, and only, girlfriend, 15-year-old Amber Wright. While Sonia and Scott weren’t very keen on her, they kept their opinions to themselves. They found Amber to be malicious and manipulative. But they knew that voicing their concerns too loudly could backfire, which could result in their relationship with their son being strained, which is not at all what they wanted.
However, their fears were soon relieved when Seath decided to break up with Amber. He’d heard rumours that she’d cheated on him with 18-year-old Michael Bargo. Devastated, Seath ended the relationship, but felt his ego needed mending. He challenged Michael to a physical fight, which he apparently won.
In March and April of 2011, Seath also engaged in a social media fight with Amber. They both posted nasty things about each other, for all of their friends and followers to read.
Amber often ranted and raved about Seath to her friends, especially to Michael. Michael’s fury towards Seath was easily fuelled by Amber’s lies that Seath was abusive towards her.
At the time, Michael lived in a house with 16-year-old Kyle Hooper, Amber’s brother, 20-year-old Justin Soto, and Charlie Ely, the 18-year-old owner of the house, who needed help making ends meet while her husband was incarcerated. As Amber was keen on gaining Michael’s attention, she often stayed over at the house, and turned to Michael for comfort.
In April, the group, including Amber’s step-father, James Havens, were at the house when the conversation turned dark. They decided that they needed to get rid of Seath. They said that no one liked him, and that they should kill him. Upon hearing this, James left the house, as he “felt uncomfortable”.
Soon, the group of teenagers devised a plan.
Amber was to lure Seath to Charlie’s house, where the other boys would then beat him, and kill him. At no point did anyone try to put a stop to this plan.
On April 17th, 2011, Seath was hanging out with his friend, William Samalot. William was worried because Seath had been receiving texts from Amber throughout the night, trying to convince him to meet up with her. William was against it, but Seath was feeling hopeful.
At around 9:15 PM, Seath and William parted ways, with Seath heading towards Charlie’s house. While he’d been apprehensive that it could be a setup, Amber had reassured him that it would only be the two of them. Seath chose to believe her. He wanted to make amends. He still cared for her, and hoped that she felt the same.
When Seath arrived at the house, he was attacked by Michael, Justin, and Kyle. Michael shot him, then dragged him into the house where he was beaten. He nearly escaped, almost making it all the way to the road, when he was shot a second time. Seath was then dragged back inside, where he was shot a third, and final, time.
Having murdered Seath, Michael then suggested that they break his kneecaps in order to fit his body in a sleeping bag for disposal. The group then built a bonfire in the yard, where they burned Seath’s body. The group then proceeded to drink and party all night long, celebrating a job well done.
The following day, Amber helped clean the house with bleach, while Seath’s remains were shovelled into paint cans by Michael, Justin, and Kyle.
James returned to the house, and drove Michael and Justin to a quarry in Ocala, where they proceeded to weigh the paint cans down with cinderblocks, and drop them into the water.
Sonia and Scott knew that something was wrong immediately. While Seath was a wilful teenager, he was never one to not come home without telling his parents where he was, and who he was with.
When Seath didn’t return home when he was supposed to, Sonia called the police, and reported him missing.
Seath’s disappearance made the local news, which pleas for help being broadcast all over radio and TV news stations.
Amber’s mother, Tracey, was watching the news with Kyle when they saw Seath’s missing person’s report. Kyle admitted to his mother that he knew for a fact that Seath was dead, telling her: “I saw him be killed”. What he neglected to mention was that he, himself, was involved in the murder.
Distraught, Tracey called the police right away, and told them that she had information. Kyle was brought in, and he told them everything he knew.
It wasn’t long before all six individuals involved in Seath’s murder were arrested, and brought in for questioning.
Investigators found Seath’s remains, and concluded that he’d been beaten, shot with a .22-caliber weapon, and then burned. DNA was found in Charlie’s house in the bathroom, and the living room. Samples were sent for testing.
DNA found in the bathroom came back as belonging to Charlie, while DNA in the living room was a mixture of Kyle’s and Seath’s.
As the suspects were being interrogated, it didn’t take them long for them all to turn on each other. Soon, the plan came out.
Charlie allowed them to use her house, while Amber lured Seath there. Kyle and Justin were to ambush him upon his arrival, with Michael leading the attack on Seath.
The suspects were tried as adults, though most of them were juveniles.
Amber Wright, Charlie Ely, and Kyle Hooper were ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder. They were sentenced to life in prison, but due to Amber and Kyle being under 18 at the time of the murder, they were automatically granted the possibility of parole after 40 years.
Amber Wright was re-tried in 2016, though she ended up with the same result – life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.
Justin Soto decided to forego a trial, and pled guilty for his part Seath’s murder. He also received a life sentence.
James Havens was charged for being an accessory to murder – as he assisted in disposing of Seath’s remains, and also failed to report the parts of the plan he’d overheard. He received a 10-year sentence.
Michael Bargo was charged with first-degree murder. He was found guilty, and was sentenced to death, as it was concluded that he’d been Seath’s shooter.
In March of 2020, it was ruled that Charlie Ely had received ineffective counsel through the course of her trial. She decided to plead guilty to a charge of second-degree murder, as she didn’t want to face another trial.
She was re-sentenced to ten years in prison. As she’d already served 9 years in prison, and had spent additional time in state prison, she was expected to be released that same year.
The others remain in custody, as is known at the time of this writing, and Michael Bargo remains on death row.
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Sources:
A Twisted Love Triangle: The Death of Seath Jackson – Gabby Kardas – For The Fans Media
Teenager Seath Jackson Brutally Murdered by Five Others Near Ocala – Kyle Munzenrieder – Miami New Times
Woman convicted of teen’s murder to be released from prison – Mike DeForest – Click Orlando
Seath Jackson Murder: Where is Amber Wright Now? – Viswa Vanapalli – The Cinemaholic
Criminal Discourse Podcast – Episode 4 – Seath Jackson – Teenage Angst Leads to Murder