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Thread: Michael Shane Bargo, Jr. - Florida Death Row

  1. #11
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    Community benefit for family to be held Saturday

    A benefit for the family trust fund of Seath Tyler Jackson will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Ocala Drive-in Flea Market, 4850 S. Pine Ave.

    Seath, 15, was murdered earlier this month. Six people have been arrested in connection to his death.

    The fundraiser for the young man’s family includes a flea market sale, car show, raffle and karaoke.

    A barbecue chicken meal will be available for $6 per plate.

    For more information about the overall event, call 368-9529; to learn more about the car show, call 512-3319.

    http://www.ocala.com/article/2011042...-held-Saturday

  2. #12
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    Adults make stark choices in teen murder case

    Rosemary Denham recalls how Michael Bargo Jr. would tell her he heard voices in his head.

    It got to the point where the teen allegedly once chased her own son around their Summerfield yard with an axe, threatening to kill him and his family. The date was July 20, 2010.

    Denham, 41, tried to obtain an injunction against Bargo, a kid who frequently hung around the neighborhood, on behalf of herself and her 16-year-old son. Citing insufficient evidence, the judge declined to grant the restraining order in September.

    Eight months later, Bargo sits behind bars, charged along with five others in the grisly killing of 15-year-old Seath Tyler Jackson near that same subdivision.

    “It didn't surprise me, but it's heartbreaking. It's sad, it's really, really sad,” Denham said by phone Monday. “He wanted to be taken to a health center, to make the voices stop in his head. That's all he wanted.”

    Only Bargo, who turned 19 on Friday, really knows if he heard voices. His own father allegedly did not believe him. But at least one person was willing to listen to him the day authorities allege Jackson was killed.

    That is the eldest adult joining the four teens and 20-year-old on the roster of those arrested in connection to this case: 37-year-old James Havens III, who is free on bond on a count of serving as an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

    He is the stepfather to the two juvenile siblings who also have been arrested and are being held in detention: Kyle Hooper, 16, and his younger sister, Amber Wright, 15.

    Havens, according to authorities, helped dispose of Jackson's body after the teen was shot multiple times, restrained, beaten and shot again April 17. The victim's body was said to be stuffed into a sleeping bag and tossed into a fire pit, with the remains stuffed into five-gallon paint cans. He was the target of ire from Bargo, who allegedly was upset for the anger he exhibited towards ex-girlfriend Wright — a close friend of Bargo's.

    It was Havens, according to an arrest report, who drove Bargo, the alleged gunman who supposedly enlisted help from friends to beat and restrain the victim, to Starke to avoid capture.

    If Havens became entangled in this alleged plot, it was his live-in domestic partner, Tracey Ann Wright, who helped expose it. The mother to the sibling pair, Wright, 37, contacted the Sheriff's Office when her son, Kyle, told her he “personally witnessed” Jackson's death. It didn't take long for her to make that call. It was two days after the crime allegedly occurred.

    Despite living in the same household, two adults made radically different decisions. Only they know what motivated their actions in the end.

    Had Wright not contacted law enforcement, “there would be no criminal consequence,” said 5th Circuit Chief Assistant State Attorney Ric Ridgway. With several exceptions, he said, “there's no obligation to report a crime.”

    “It's obviously not an easy position for any parent to be in,” he said.

    Wright came to court last week for her son and daughter's first appearance before a judge. She was accompanied by a man who identified himself as the kids' father: Duane Hooper, 44. Both declined comment after the brief hearing.

    Experts who weigh in on the divergent choices made by adults in this case say there's no predictable behavior that will emerge out of such high-risk situations.

    “A lot of criminal acts involve immediate situational circumstances that require very quick decisions. People are making snap judgments and sometimes they're making decisions that are utterly contradictory to their lives,” said Carter Hay, an associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Florida State University.

    Local court records show that Havens has no violent criminal record — only a string of traffic offenses to his name. He posted $10,000 bond 12 hours after being booked into jail.

    A grand jury convenes Wednesday to decide possible murder indictments against Bargo, 19; Justin E. Soto, 20; Charlie Kay Ely, 18, at whose home the crime allegedly occurred; and the two juveniles.

    According to Denham, the woman who once sought an injunction against Bargo, it wasn't unusual to see several members of this group roam her Summerfield neighborhood, spraying graffiti or committing petty thefts.

    “It appeared they were allowed to run the neighborhood,” she said of the siblings, Hooper and Wright. “At hours kids should be in, they were always out.”

    A former youth minister, Denham also remembered Bargo as a young man who often was in need of a roof over his head. He frequently was kicked out of his house, she said. The teen moved to Ocala from Michigan three years ago and lived with his father and grandparents.

    Court records show Michael Bargo Sr. doesn't have a sterling record himself. He was arrested in January 2010 on a felony warrant from Michigan for failure to pay child support. He also was arrested for battery on another male in 1993 and ordered to perform community service. He could not be reached for comment.

    Bargo Sr. wasn't the only parent among this group who has fallen out of step with the law. Hooper, the juvenile siblings' father, spent two years in prison in the late 1990s for grand theft of a motor vehicle arising out of Broward County.

    While instructive, adults' past criminal tendencies don't necessarily translate to their children, said Hay.

    “Typically, what you would expect is that parents don't want their kids to be involved in crime or delinquency or anything that is dangerous and puts them at risk,” the criminologist said. “Parents often feel that way even if they themselves are involved in criminal or delinquent activity.”

    Charles Holloman, a lawyer who represents Bargo in a pending burglary case, the trial for which was postponed to a later date on Monday, met with his client in the days after his arrest for first-degree murder. Nothing struck the attorney out of the ordinary.

    “I didn't see anything that would indicate he was proud or defiant,” he said. “Did he act like some violent thug when I met with him? Absolutely not, he's a kid and he's scared to death.”

    Bargo, Denham offered, was a child who was “unloved, uncared about, just wanting someone to care about him, someone to give him attention.”

    http://www.ocala.com/article/2011050...NEWS?p=4&tc=pg

  3. #13
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    Jury To Decide If 5 Will Be Indicted For Teen's Murder

    MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- A grand jury will convene on Wednesday to decide if five people involved the killing of a 15-year-old boy in Marion County will be indicted for first-degree murder.

    Seath Jackson was beaten, shot and then burned at a home in Summerfield last month.

    Investigators said Jackson's ex-girlfriend lured him to the home as part of a murder plot masterminded by 18-year-old Michael Bargo.

    Two of the suspects are juveniles and prosecutors haven't determined if they will be charged as adults. They would not be eligible for the death penalty.

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  4. #14
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    Inset in the murder scene, from left, are Michael Bargo, 19; Justin E. Soto, 20; Charlie Ely, 18; Kyle Hooper; 16; and Amber Wright, 15. They have been indicted in the murder of Seath Jackson.


    Indictments: 1st-degree murder for 5 in Belleview teen's death

    Five of the six people arrested in the violent slaying of 15-year-old Seath Jackson two and a half weeks ago have been indicted for first-degree murder.

    A grand jury Wednesday morning returned indictments against Michael Bargo, 19; Justin E. Soto, 20; Kyle Hooper; 16; Charlie Ely, 18; and Amber Wright, 15.

    As the alleged gunman, Bargo was indicted for first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm, the others with first-degree premeditated murder in connection with the April 17 killing of the Belleview boy.

    Hooper and Wright were indicted as adults, meaning their cases transfer out of the juvenile court system and into the adult court.

    The indictments come after authorities learned of a gruesome murder plot in which Jackson was allegedly shot repeatedly, beaten, tortured according to some accounts, and tossed into a burning fire pit. His remains stuffed into five-gallon paint cans.

    Wright and Ely allegedly helped lure Jackson -- Wright's ex-boyfriend -- to Ely's home, where he was beaten and shot several times by Bargo, as Soto and Hooper helped restrain the teen, authorities allege.

    According to prosecutor Amy Berndt, Bargo was the one who shot Jackson multiple times.

    A decision on whether to pursue the death penalty could come in several weeks, she added. The juveniles, under federal law, will not face capital punishment.

    Jackson's death came to light when Hooper returned home and told his mother about having witnessed the murder. He provided a statement to law enforcement shortly after.

    A sixth person, James Havens III, 37, has been arrested for allegedly having helped dispose of the victim's body and for providing a lift to Bargo to Starke after the killing occurred.

    He has entered a not guilty plea to his charge, serving as an accessory to first-degree murder after the fact.

    http://www.ocala.com/article/2011050...w-teen-s-death

  5. #15
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    Benefit Concert for Teen Murdered

    A community comes together to remember one of their own and raise money for his family.

    A little over a month ago, 15-year old Seath Jackson was tortured and murdered in Summerfield.

    Local bands put together a benefit concert Friday night, called "Rock for S.E.A.T.H," which they organizers say stands for selfless entertainment alternative to hatred.

    The concert was held inside of the Parish Hall at the Blessed Trinity Church in Ocala.

    "To see him out having fun was amazing to me, it's horrible to see him gone like this," said long time friend and lead singer for the Facing Your Shadow band.

    His band closed out their session with a song Singh wrote for Jackson, called "Lies".

    "The first line is, where do you go when your ready to fall, when they stand around to see it all, it refers to what they did to him," said Singh.

    Hundreds in the crowd screamed, "We love Seath."

    They raised their lit lighters and tried to contain their tears.

    Police say 15-year old Jackson, was lured, brutally beaten and murdered by five young adults.

    His body was burned to ashes, and 37-year old James Haved, helped get rid of the ashes.

    "When I heard to the story, it hit me, and the whole community, we are a tight-knit community," said Colten Woodward, organizer of the event and member of the Victory Bound Rival band, who also took to the stage Friday night.

    The event was also a tribute to Jackson's life.

    People who didn't even know him, filed in to the benefit concert.

    "I heard what they did to Seath and I wanted to be here to promote anti-violence," said Cindy Porter, a concert-goer.

    "I heard about the new guy and had to be here," said Reinaldo Castillo.

    "Every time we talk about him, it paints a picture of him in our heads with the good times we had with him," said Singh.

    Organizers hope to raise more than 5-thousand dollars.

    All of the proceeds will go to the Jackson family.

    Police have charged six-people in Seath Jackson's murder.

    Eighteen-year old Michael Bargo, the man police are calling the triggerman, could face the death penalty

    http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news...#ixzz1N6h4nSAw

  6. #16
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    No gag order in Seath Jackson murder case

    A judge on Monday denied Charlie Kay Ely's request for a gag order and closure order in her case. She is one of the co-defendants in the Seath Jackson murder case.

    Meantime, the State Attorney's Office said it will not seek the death penalty for Ely.

    http://www.ocala.com/article/2011052...on-murder-case

  7. #17
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    Bargo in court; state undecided on seeking death for teen's murder

    During his first official court appearance since his arrest, Michael Bargo waived his right to a speedy trial Monday in connection with the killing of Belleview teen Seath Jackson.

    The State Attorney's Office told the judge it had not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty against Bargo, 19.

    Prosecutor Amy Berndt said she would tell the court her office's decision by the next status hearing, scheduled for July 6.

    "We just want to make sure we reviewed all the evidence," Berndt said after the hearing. "It's obviously a serious matter and we want to make sure we take our time."

    Shackled and wearing a red-and-white striped jail uniform, the stoic-faced Bargo sat beside his attorney, Charles Holloman.

    Bargo, along with four others ranging in age from 15 to 20, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with Jackson's death in April.

    A sixth person, James Havens III, 37, is charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and is currently free on bond.

    Authorities consider Bargo the ringleader of the alleged plot and the alleged gunman. Only he and one other defendant, Justin Soto, 20, are eligible for the death penalty. Two juveniles cannot face execution and the state has already dismissed that option for Charlie Kay Ely, 18.

    Ely appeared in court briefly for her own status conference Monday. Her attorney, Jonathan Bull, told the judge he was "reluctant" to have his client waive her right to a speedy trial, in which case the state must proceed to trial within 175 days from Ely's arrest on April 18.

    A status conference to discuss that decision was set for the week of July 4.

    The State Attorney's Office has thus far provided defense attorneys with more than 600 pages of discovery documents, including DVDs of defendants' statements and photos of the crime scene.

    Bull said he is exploring legal basis under which to suppress statements Ely provided concerning details of the events leading up to the killing.

    http://www.ocala.com/article/2011060...nt02?p=2&tc=pg

  8. #18
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    Three charged in Seath murder case make court appearance

    Three young defendants charged in the April murder of 15-year-old Seath Jackson, of Belleview, have waived their rights to a speedy trial.

    Amber Wright, 15, Kyle Hooper, 16, and Justin Soto, 20, appeared in court Monday briefly for a status hearing. They are among five defendants charged with first-degree murder in the case.

    Soto, who is being represented by 5th Circuit Chief Assistant Public Defender Bill Miller, could face the death penalty if convicted as charged.

    Assistant State Attorney Amy Berndt told Circuit Judge David Eddy that she'll know by the end of July whether the state will seek the death penalty against Soto. Early next month, the State Attorney's Office is expected to decide whether it will seek death for another co-defendant, alleged ringleader Michael Bargo, 19.

    Seath Jackson was beaten, shot repeatedly and tortured. His body was tossed in a burn pit outside a Summerfield house owned by another co-defendant, 18-year-old Charlie Kay Ely.

    Authorities have described an alleged plot to lure Jackson to the home and kill him.

    http://www.ocala.com/article/2011062...urt-appearance

  9. #19
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    State seeks death penalty for murder suspect

    The State Attorney's Office said in court Wednesday it intends to seek the death penalty against Michael Bargo, the 19-year-old man accused of shooting and killing Seath Jackson in April. Bargo is one of five young adults charged with first-degree murder in connection with the case.

    One other suspect charged, Justin Soto, faces the possibility of a death penalty prosecution, although Assistant State Attorney Amy Berdnt said that decision is still pending.

    Jackson, of Belleview, was brutally beaten and shot in a Summerfield home before his body was tossed into a burn pit. Four co-defendants have made statements to authorities that revealed a conspiracy to lure Jackson into the home while identifying Bargo as the gunman, authorities said.

    "Just because they filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty does not automatically mean it will be tried as a death case," Charles Holloman, Bargo's attorney, said Wednesday, referring to the number of possibilities and developments that could emerge between now and trial.

    Berndt declined to comment about the state's notice of intent after the brief hearing, in which Bargo sat at the defense table, his father and a family friend seated behind him.

    http://www.ocala.com/article/2011070...urder-suspect-

  10. #20
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    Defendant in Seath murder wants trial moved

    The attorney for Charlie Kay Ely, one of five people charged with the gruesome murder of a 15-year-old boy, said in court Wednesday that he will ask the judge to move his client’s trial outside of Marion County.

    Attorney Jonathan Bull told Circuit Judge David Eddy he would soon formally file the request. He later told reporters there was too much negative publicity about the case in the local media.

    “It (is) an emotional case and quite frankly the gruesome nature of the crime,” Bull said. He said Orlando would potentially be a good location because of the city’s recent distraction by the Casey Anthony trial.

    Ely’s status conference was one of three such hearings Wednesday before Eddy. Defense lawyers and prosecutors conferred about sharing evidence and scheduled witness depositions.

    The other hearings were for co-defendants Michael Shane Bargo, 19, and Kyle Hooper, 17.

    All three are charged with first-degree murder.

    Prosecutors contend that in April, Ely, Hooper, Bargo and two other co-defendants — Justin Soto, 20 and Amber Wright, 15 — plotted to lure Wright’s former boyfriend, Seath Jackson, 15, to Ely’s home in Summerfield.

    Following interviews with some of the co-defendants, Marion County sheriff’s investigators said that when Seath arrived at Ely’s home, Hooper and Soto struck the boy in the head.

    The attack escalated from there, investigators said. Investigators said that based on co-defendant interviews, Bargo shot Jackson several times during the beating.

    Jackson’s body was carried into the backyard and burned in a fire pit, the reports said.

    His remains were shoveled into several 5-gallon paint buckets and thrown into a water-filled limerock pit.

    Ely told investigators that as soon as Jackson entered the house she ran and stayed in a back bedroom.

    All five accused of the murder have pleaded not guilty.

    Of the five, only Ely is asking for a speedy trial. Jury selection is slated for Sept. 19.

    Bull said he will be prepared for trial.

    “We do have enough to present a very well (prepared) defense for my client,” he said Wednesday.

    He described Ely as having “a deep-seated fear of Bargo” and was forced to participate.

    Bull said the strategic advantage of pushing for an early trial is that it takes time away from prosecutors from finding additional witnesses and evidence against his client. It also reduces the time for prosecutors to strike bargains with the other co-defendants to testify against Ely in exchange for lesser charges and potential sentences.

    Hooper’s lawyer, David Mengers, said after his client’s status conference that his client warned Seath to get out of the house before the shooting began.

    “He (Hooper) did not commit murder, nor did he want a murder to take place,” Mengers said. “All witnesses are unanimous that Kyle Hooper did not kill the gentleman.”

    Eddy on Wednesday told Bull and Bargo’s lawyer, Charles Holloman, and prosecutors to be well underway with depositions by November. Another status conference will be scheduled then.

    Assistant state attorneys Amy Berndt and Robin Arnold on Wednesday also obtained a genetic DNA sample from Bargo by way of a swab from inside his cheek.

    Berndt said the DNA will be used to compare to DNA obtained at the crime scene.

    Holloman also received from prosecutors copies of letters co-defendants have written friends and family since their arrests.

    Holloman said there were at least 100 letters, but thus far, none written by Bargo suggests he’s guilty of Seath’s murder.

    http://www.ocala.com/article/2011081...9971?p=3&tc=pg

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