Where is Justin Soto now? We talk about where one of the murderers of Seath Jackson is in 2023. This article contains details that some readers might find distressing.
Justin Soto was one of the people who took part in the murder of Seath Jackson in April 2011. He and four others lured the 15-year-old to a home in Summerfield, a town in Florida, where he was tortured and then killed.
The death was the result of an escalation between Seath, his ex-girlfriend Amber Wright, and her new boyfriend Michael Bargo.
The crime shocked the local community and the wider state, with the sheer brutality of the crime and the age of Seath and his assailants stunning many. It garnered wide interest.
What happened to Justin Soto?
Justin Soto was one of the five people who planned and murdered the 15-year-old Seath Jackson in April 2011. He was 20 at the time. The other four conspirators included Amber Wright, then 15; Michael Bargo Jr., then 18; Amber’s stepbrother Kyle Hooper, then 16; and Amber’s female friend Charlie Ely, then 18.
Michael came up with the plan to murder Seath, which stemmed from a bad breakup between Seath and Amber in March 2011. The pair would exchange horrible messages with each other on Facebook. Once Michael began dating Amber, he would come to believe incorrectly that Seath abused Amber.
This would stoke feelings of hatred for Seath. Michael and Amber recruited the others to their cause. Kyle hated Seath because he was sleeping with a girl he liked, and court documents revealed he had even messaged her about killing Seath. It’s unclear why Justin and Charlie became involved.
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On April 17, 2011, Amber lured Seath to Charlie’s house by saying she wanted to work through their issues and get back together. But once Seath arrived, he was ambushed by Michael, Kyle, Justin, and Charlie.
He was tortured, kneecapped, and shot several times with a 22-caliber firearm.
According to Kyle’s account of the murder, Justin held Seath down as Michael shot the teen in the head outside Charlie’s house.
After this, Justin would reportedly help Bargo drag the dead body back to the house and tie it into a bathtub. This was then thrown into a firepit.
The next day, Justin and Michael would take the burnt remains to a quarry in Ocala, put them into paint buckets, tie cinderblocks to them, and throw them in the water.
While this was going on, Kyle, Charlie, and Amber cleaned the house of blood using bleach. But police would still find evidence of the crime later on.
Michael’s DNA was found in a mixture of blood in the bathroom. Charlie’s DNA was found in a blood mixture in the living room, which also contained Seath’s blood.
Police identified the murder weapon by linking the projectile found in Seath’s remains to the 22-caliber.
Where is Justin Soto Now?
Justin Soto is currently in prison, where he will spend the rest of his life. He will never be released from jail, as the sentence he was given forbids Justin the chance of parole.
What was Justin Soto’s sentence?
Justin Soto pleaded guilty to the crime of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.
