Man convicted for triple murder after 'furry convention' obsession with teenager

A US court has heard the case of an obsessive "furry" who was involved in plotting the of three people, including the mother and stepfather of a he was infatuated with. Frank Sato Felix, 33, from California, has been found guilty of participating in a 2016 scheme that resulted in the deaths of three adults in Los Angeles.

Tragically, the gruesome scene was discovered by two young girls, aged just six and nine. The victims were identified as 39-year-old Jennifer Goodwill-Yost, her husband 35-year-old Christopher Yost, and their friend Arthur "Billy" Boucher, who was asleep on the sofa at the time.

Investigations revealed that Felix had developed an obsession with Goodwill-Yost's then 17-year-old daughter after encountering her at a furry convention that she had brought her along to. Furries are a subculture of people who dress up as alternative animal identities, which are typically wolves, , foxes, or even dragons with human intelligence.

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In the lead-up to the horrific events, Felix unleashed a chilling rant on his aimed at an unidentified individual, reports . The post, which seemed to be targeting someone he was close to, ominously concluded with: "I know you'll still lie to me you're just afraid to be open with people that can raze you like a European city during the second war I just hope you're gonna regret everything you've done to me and everything you could've done and live with that guilt you've put on yourself everyday."

In a disturbing Facebook message sent just four days before the murders, Felix, who adopted the persona Entey Felix online and within the furry community, told a pal about his murderous intentions, writing: "I might be assisting someone in murder." The furry then appeared to downplay the severity of his words by adding: "It's just killing an animal."

The friend who received these messages admitted he didn't take Felix seriously, saying: "I didn't take it for real," and expressing the difficulty in discerning whether someone is being earnest or jesting: "You don't know if someone is serious anymore or joking."

The 17-year-old girl involved was introduced to the "furry" subculture by her mother.

This subculture is characterised by individuals donning animal costumes and gathering at conventions. It was at one such event that she encountered Felix, who was 25 at the time, and Joshua Charles Acosta, a 21-year-old Army mechanic.

Felix entered into a romantic relationship with the teenager, but her mother, Jennifer Goodwill-Yost, and stepfather Christopher did not approve of the relationship due to the significant age difference.

On the night of September 24, 2016, Acosta and Felix embarked on their heinous mission to aid the 17-year-old girl in fleeing her family home. As the Yost family and their houseguest, Arthur "Billy" Boucher, slipped into sleep, the deadly plot unfolded with the girl joining Felix in his truck, while Acosta crept inside armed with a shotgun supplied by Felix.

In a cold-blooded spree, Acosta brutally executed 28-year-old Boucher with a shot to the head as he lay on the living room couch, then callously murdered the girl's mother with a blast to the face in the master bedroom. The stepfather's desperate attempt to flee was cut short by a fatal headshot as he raced for the patio door.

The scene of horror continued as Acosta left the bloodstained home, deserting the young Yost daughters - aged six and nine - amidst the corpses of their parents and friend. Meanwhile, the conspirators, including the teenager, sought refuge at Felix's place in Sun Valley, where they set their incriminating garments afire and strived to dismantle their electronic tracks.

The dreadful morning followed with the small Yost sisters awakening to the nightmare reality of three lifeless bodies within their home, prompting an urgent 911 call for help. Fullerton Police Department later apprehended the culpable Felix at his Sun Valley residence, while Acosta was seized within the confines of his military barracks at Fort Irwin.

"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," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. "The trauma inflicted on those little girls compounded by the loss of both of their parents in such a violent way is beyond heart-breaking. Violence is never the answer, and a sick and twisted plan turned into life behind bars for two young men."

Felix has been found guilty of three felony counts of first-degree murder and three felony enhancements of multiple murders.

He's facing a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole and is due to be sentenced on January 17, 2025. Acosta was handed a life sentence without the chance of parole back in 2018.

Prosecutors did not charge the 17-year-old girl arrested in connection with the triple homicide. Law enforcement also declined at the time to claim she was the arrested teen, citing state privacy laws for minors.