A man who plotted to help kill three people after they disapproved of his relationship with a minor is facing the possibility of life in prison without parole, according to prosecutors.
33-year-old Frank Sato Felix was convicted on Tuesday on three felony counts of first-degree murder and three felony enhancements of multiple murders, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The Sun Valley resident’s conviction is connected to the incident that led to his codefendant, Joshua Charles Acosta, receiving a life sentence in prison after being convicted on three counts of murder.
Prosecutors say that Felix, then-25, met a 17-year-old girl after she was introduced to the “furry” subculture. That subculture involved people dressing up in costumes resembling animals with human-like characteristics.
Felix illegally entered what prosecutors described as a “romantic relationship” with the minor, but her mother, 39-year-old Jennifer Goodwill-Yost, and step-father, 35-year-old Christopher Yost, didn’t approve of the relationship.
That’s when Felix and Acosta, an Army mechanic stationed at Ft. Irwin in Barstow, decided to act. Felix supplied ammunition and a shotgun for Acosta, and the duo traveled to the Yost household in Fullerton on Sept. 24, 2016.
Their plan, prosecutors say, was to help the minor escape the home until her 18th birthday.
The girl left the house to be with Felix in his truck after everyone else in the house went to bed. That’s when Acosta entered the home, armed with the shotgun.
After entering, Acosta encountered a family-friend of the Yost’s, 28-year-old Arthur “Billy” Boucher, who was asleep on the living-room couch. He shot Boucher while he slept, killing him.
Acosta then entered the master bedroom, where Jennifer and Christopher slept. He shot Jennifer in the face, killing her, and then shot Christopher as he tried to escape through an outdoor patio area.
After killing all three adults inside the household, Acosta escaped with Felix and the 17-year-old girl back to Sun Valley, where they burned their clothes and attempted to destroy their cell phones.
In the house still where two young daughters of the Yost’s, aged 6 and 9. They woke up to find their parents and family friend dead, and called police.
“Two little girls, six and nine, went to sleep not knowing the last time they would see their parents would be when they woke up to find them shot to death,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The trauma inflicted on those little girls compounded by the loss both of their parents in such a violent way is beyond heartbreaking. Violence is never the answer, and a sick and twisted plan turned into life behind bars for two young men.”
Felix and Acosta were both arrested a short time later.
Though Felix didn’t pull the trigger, he was still convicted of triple murder on Tuesday. He’ll face a sentencing hearing on Jan. 17, where he could receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
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