A Sun Valley man was sentenced Tuesday for his role in the murder of a 17-year-old girl’s mother and stepfather, who he met through the “furry” subculture, officials said.
Frank Sato Felix and Joshua Charles Acosta, then a 21-year-old Army mechanic, met the girl when he was 25 years old. The subculture includes people who wear “furries,” or elaborate animal costumes.
Prosecutors said Felix and the boy began a romantic relationship, but her parents, Jennifer Goodwill Yost, 39, and Christopher Yost, 35, opposed it.
On September 24, 2016, Felix and Acosta drove to Yost’s Fullerton home, where they adopted the 17-year-old girl and planned to keep her away from her family until she turned 18.
Frank Felix (left), pictured next to Josh Acosta, was found guilty Tuesday for his role in the murder of the 17-year-old girl’s mother and stepfather, whom he met through the “furry” subculture.
(Fullerton Police Department)
The girl left the house and went to visit Felix, who was waiting outside in his truck while the family slept. That’s when Acosta entered the house with a shotgun.
Acosta shot and killed a family friend, Arthur “Billy” Boucher, 28, as he slept on a couch in the living room. Acosta then entered the master bedroom and shot and killed Goodwill-Yost.
Yost tried to escape to the patio of his home, but was shot in the head.
Felix provided the shotgun and ammunition.
The couple’s daughters, ages 6 and 9, survive at home. In the morning, he discovered the bodies of his parents and called 911.
A woman who identified herself as a family friend sits outside the Fullerton home where three people were shot to death in 2016.
(Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times)
During Acosta’s trial, a 17-year-old girl testified that she was repeatedly sexually abused by her stepfather from age 7 to 15, according to the Orange County Register. She also testified that Felix “blackmailed” her into having sex with him or else he would tell her mother about the abuse.
She told the court that she had planned to tell her mother and run away from home on the day of the murder.
Acosta’s lawyer pointed out at the trial that the teenager had lied to police and prosecutors, including claiming her mother abused her, and had previously denied telling anyone about the alleged abuse. .
On Tuesday, Felix was found guilty of three counts of murder with special circumstances.
In 2018, Acosta was sentenced to life in prison without parole for murder.
“Two girls, ages 6 and 9, went to sleep not knowing it would be the last time they would see their parents, only to wake up to find their parents shot and killed,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. said. “Violence is never the answer, and a sick and twisted plan led to a life in prison for both young men.”
Felix, now 33, is scheduled to be sentenced on January 17 at the Central Judicial Center in Santa Ana.
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