A 33-year-old man was convicted Tuesday of killing a teen friend’s parents in an ambush that also claimed a third victim eight years ago in Fullerton.
Frank Sato Felix was convicted of three counts of murder with special circumstances of multiple victims. Felix, who is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 17, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Co-defendant Joshua Charles Acosta, 29, was convicted in November 2018 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an extra 75 years.
Felix was convicted of helping his best friend Acosta kill 39-year-old Jennifer Goodwill-Yost; her husband, 34-year-old Christopher Yost; and their friend, 28-year-old Arthur William Boucher on Sept. 23, 2016.
Felix’s attorney, David Paulson, deferred an opening statement in the trial.
The 6-year-old daughter of the couple called 911 at about 8:20 a.m. Sept. 24, 2016, saying, “mom and dad and Billy died” in their home on 401 S. Gilbert St., according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Seton Hunt. The girl told the dispatcher she wanted police to take her and her 9-year-old sister away because they were frightened, Hunt said.
The girls’ half-sister, 17-year-old Katlynn Goodwill-Yost, who was dating Felix, was away.
A shotgun-wielding Acosta, who was an Army private stationed at Fort Irwin at the time, killed Katlynn’s parents and also gunned down family friend Boucher, who was sleeping over so he would be closer to the home where he was scheduled to have visitation with his son, Boucher’s fiancée, Joyce Burchett, testified.
Acosta and Felix met Katlynn through a group of “Furries,” who like to dress up as anthropomorphic animals in costumes. Acosta was a “bronie,” a closely affiliated group of fans of the “My Little Pony” cartoons for children.
Katlynn and her mother, Jennifer, were both in the furries group.
When Felix was questioned by police, he initially denied having anything to do with the crime, but later admitted he gave Acosta his father’s shotgun, Hunt said.
Felix claimed Katlynn’s parents were abusive to explain the motive for the attack, Hunt said.
“He admitted he could have just called the police instead,” Hunt said.
Felix also admitted that after the killings, he “went to his house to destroy evidence,” Hunt said.
“The plan was to make it look like a robbery gone bad,” Hunt said.
Felix also claimed he feared Acosta, but in court papers, Hunt pointed out the two kept in touch and that he sent letters to Acosta, with one including a “drawing of a sexually androgynous anthropomorphic horse with human breasts as a gift to Acosta.”
Katlynn’s parents frowned on her relationship with Felix, Hunt said. Felix sent a message to Katlynn after the killins saying they now could start a family and raise her young sisters, the prosecutor said.
During questioning by police, Felix “provides his own legal analysis,” suggesting he committed first-degree murder, Hunt said.
Yost’s mother, Angela Major, testified that she “heard they were seeing each other,” in reference to Felix and Katlynn.
“But I don’t think my son liked it,” she said. “But I don’t know why.”
Jennifer Goodwill-Yost, Christopher Yost and Boucher had been friends since high school, Burchett testified.
Evan Keith, who was in the same furry group with Felix, Acosta and Katlynn, also testified that her parents frowned on Katlynn dating anyone at the time. She had another boyfriend at the time they didn’t want her to date because they did not think she was ready, he said.
Keith said the furry group was a community of people who like to create animal-like characters for themselves as a form of expression. The more “committed” of the group make a costume for themselves.
Keith likened it to drag queens or Dungeons and Dragons.
“Some invest in their character… to create a suit, something to wear to express yourself as your character,” Keith said.
Keith was not well-acquainted with Felix or Acosta, but he recalled having a conversation with Felix over an application about whether Felix “had a shot at dating Katlynn.”
Keith also noticed Felix had “cigarette scars” on his arm, which appeared to be “self-inflicted.”