52 Lock Up: Amber Wright & Seath Jackson

Welcome to my series of 52 Lock up. It is a series on Youtube but as well as can be read here on Vocal about, 52 weeks of 52 crimes. You can either watch it above or read it below; whatever fancy you’d like.

One of the first cases that fascinated me the most is the death of 15 year old Seath Jackson in Florida.

Seath lived in Summerfield Florida with his two brothers and parents; and was often described as friendly, outgoing, funny and popular. When he entered high school Seath and Amber Wright began to date. Seath’s parents stated Amber seemed nice in the beginning but over time they saw she was manipulative. Like any other normal teenager growing up in the Information Age, they posted up their lives on social media with posts: like Seath posting on March 14 “chillin at the hous with amber and kyle bored as fuck”. Kyle is Amber’s Step-brother Kyle Hooper. We’ll get back to him later. After this post their social media posts began to change. The teenage relationship grew to be very toxic and ended (according to multiple news sources) due to Amber Wright’s infidelity with 18 year old Michael Bargo. Once Seath discovered she had cheated on him Seath became angry and had challenged Michael to a fight that according to multiple sources, Seath had won the fight.

Amber and Seath’s break up also spewed across their social media accounts where they consistently posted incendiary comments for other people to see. Some of the accounts from what I have found include:

March 23

Amber: “(Expletive) this. I spoke up. We done bro. Hit me up in another life time!”

March 28

Seath: “Singel now hitme up now that I don’t have a trick (girlfriend) now ….”

March 30

Seath: (Apparently addressing Amber) “(expletive) amber you wanted it so like i sed my song to you is ech hahaha you did this to your self”

March 30

Seath: “have her mike fagggo (expletive) boy

A female friend responds: “Bargo?”

Seath: “yeah that (derogatory name)  lol he wuldint fight me”

April 3

Amber: It feels so wierd waking up when yuur not beside me.

Seath: “your telling me”

Seath: “amber im done with the fighting with you hopefuly we can work (expletive) out latter down the rode

Amber: (to Seath) “Just do me a favor and consider me dead to yuu!

Mike Bargo joins the conversation.

Mike: “seth she was talkin about me

Seath: (in response to Mike) “thats cool alyssa my baby

Seath: (to Amber) “m done with you so idc so have fun with your life lil (derogatory name)

Amber: “Thats nice :)

It is discovered that Seath Jackson had slept with Amber’s Stepbrother’s girlfriend Alyssa. These posts are going back and forth before Seath’s untimely demise on April 17th. The death threats began to increase where it is quoted that Michael Bargo told Seath “I have a bullet with your name on it”.

The plan begins to set in motion but lets do a little background on Michael Bargo.

Michael Bargo had a history of being under the influence. In his court case when you read the subtext, it was stated that he had a hostile relationship with his mother, diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 7 (ADHD is Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder which is a medical condition that affects a person's attention and self-control., I am summing it up but that does not mean every person with ADHD is like Michael Bargo), Michael Bargo was prescribed Ritalin, Concerta, Focolin and Adderall ; which sounds like a lot to prescribe a kid to stimulate them. He had been found to be a danger to himself and others as his anger grew when his parents had divorced and subjected to bullying due to his small size.

Bargo was diagnosed with abnormal brain scan, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder and a complex partial seizure disorder, (side note schizoaffective disorder is a combination of symptoms of schizophrenia and mood disorder, such as depression or bipolar disorder). He was close with his sister Lauren and paternal grandmother Vergie and that seemed to be the only normal healthyish relationship he had in his life. He did not receive proper treatment for his known severe drug addiction. He was described as a follower and not a leader. Unfortunately at some point he stopped taking his medications. Michael Bargo was a ticking time bomb.

Amber is supposed to lure Seath, Kyle Hooper is pissed at Seath for supposedly sleeping with his girlfriend Alyssa, Charlie Ely’s house is the location, Justin Soto joins in on this as well.

The death and case

Seath was hanging out with a friend and was biking home when he received a text message from Amber and they talked about meeting up. Seath expected to meet his ex-girlfriend at a trailer where teenage offenders 15 year old Amber Wright, her 17 year old step brother Kyle Hooper, her new 18 year old boyfriend Michael Shane Bargo, her friend 16/17 year old Charlie Ely & 20 year old Justin Soto. Seath Tyler Jackson was severely beat, shot, even manages to run outside A few individuals spotted what appeared to the witnesses “kids fighting” and didn’t respond to what was happening outside. The Seath was shot a second time by Michael Bargo and Kyle Hooper, Michael Bargo, and Justin Soto admitted that when Seath tried to escape he struck the victim in the head with an ax handle and restrained him in order to bring him back into the house.

Soto assisted with placing the victim into the bath tub where Bargo beat the victim’s kneecaps so they could fold his body into a sleeping bag; but when Bargo realized Jackson was still alive Bargo shot him again. placed into the bathroom tub so they can break his kneecaps in order to fold him into a sleeping bag that was ready for him, pulled his teeth out with pliers, then took his body to the back of the trailer. Afterwards, the group hog-tied Jackson and placed the sleeping bag into the backyard fire pit & burned for several hours burned it to ashes around a bonfire like a hang out and stuffed the remains into paint cans, James Haven was called to the teens and he “unknowningly” drove them to a rock quarry where they threw Seath’s remains in the water. I say unknownlngly with quotes because he was there the night they were discussing their plan and he left because he was uncomfortable….the 40 something year old walked out and didn’t step in; nor tell these kids they would be ruining lives by the mile.

The following day his mother reported him missing and she knew that he was supposed to meet up with his ex-girlfriend. Amber‘s brother Kyle saw that there was a report for Jackson as missing and he confessed to his mother that he witnessed the murder of Jackson. The mother takes Kyle Hooper into the police station so he can explain what he witnessed not realizing that both of her children were involved in the murder.

Kyle Hooper creates a story that Jackson wanted to speak with his sister Amber and states that Jackson was dislike for putting his hands on his sister. Her brother openly admits to striking Jackson over the head but supposedly in the defense of his sister. Kyle‘s initial statement is that after he struck Jackson he had pushed him into the kitchen of the trailer and then told him to get out. He then hears a couple of gunshots go off and places Michael Shane Bargo at the scene of the crime as a shooter.

Amber was the next person to be interviewed by police officers and her original statement included that she was just an innocent bystander. Her story stays as consistent that Jackson was being aggressive and determined to speak with her. She also states that her brother struck Jackson for no reason. She allegedly claims that she told her friend Charlie to run and they both ran into a bathroom out of fear and close the bathroom door to the trailer. She then claims that she heard a door open and then she heard gunshots after gunshot and they stayed in the bathroom until the following day. When she awoke the following day she claimed to have smelled pure bleach in the house and that is all she noticed. At some point during their interview you can hear Amber and Kyle discussing how if they do go to jail they will probably be 20 as if they were depending on leniency to be given to them because of their age and blaming Michael would work because he’s older.

Amber and Michael deny their sexual relationship with each other in the courts and even in interviews. Jackson had broken up with Amber due to the fact that she was having sex with Michael. During Amber‘s interview she admitted that they had sex a couple of times but she only did it to aggravate Jackson on purpose Jackson was devastated after the break up but was focused on Amber’s social media and her intention to hold his attention. During the trial her brother Kyle Hooper showed remorse but Amber did not.

One of the most crucial pieces of evidence in the case was a text message sent to Jackson stating “well I kind a need to talk to you about us working things out?“ On Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 8:46 PM. She even sent additional text messages requesting for him to call her. Amber was well aware of the fact that Jackson wanted to get back with her. During their exchanges of text messages out of 70 Jackson even states “Amber if you have me jump I will never give you the time of day so if I get jumped say goodbye all right“ on April 17 at 8:56 PM. Amber‘s reply even states that she promised he was not going to be jumped but simply wanted to continue their relationship again.

Sentencing

Amber wright was sentenced, life without parole. Kyle Hooper, Life without parole, Michael Bargo was sentenced to death James Havens sentenced to accessory for up to 30 years, Justin Soto took a plea deal to avoid the death sentence and has life in prison. Charlie Ely was supposed to received life without parole but was charged with a lesser sentence after retrial for second degree murder after working with Jose Baez you may remember him from Casey Anthony she was imprisoned for 9 out of the 10 years and she’s currently released at 27 years old which is a surprising fact for Seath’s mother Sonia who was angry but has not commented on the release as far as I know.

Just as extra fact about Charlie, what Baez did was he filed an appeal in federal court arguing, among other things, that Ely's original trial attorney, Jonathan Bull, made several critical mistakes that deprived Ely of her constitutional right to a fair trial. In March, a federal judge ruled that Ely received ineffective counsel because her trial attorney failed to object to portions of a law enforcement interrogation video used by prosecutors to convict her. Baez went on to say “This court denied her (appeal). The appellate court denied her. So we had to take it to the federal system for somebody to finally step up and say, ‘Wait a minute. This can’t happen in the United States.’ People are entitled to due process.”…her original lawyer did not comment but had been barred from practicing law in 2018

This case left Seath’s family grieving him. Amber and Kyle’s mother loses both of her kids to life sentencing, she’s a nurse by the way and worked a lot from what I could find online. James Haven’s life is wasted. Bargo and Soto are lost to life sentencing; Although Charlie she’s the only one out from this crime but being in prison changes you; but all this for what? Over an argument between a love triangle. Not arguments over your favorite bands or movies or aspirations, nothing.

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References

N. (2017). FindLaw's Supreme Court of Florida case and opinions. Retrieved July 11, 2020, from https://caselaw.findlaw.com/fl-supreme-court/1866390.html

MICHAEL SHANE BARGO, JR., Appellant, v. Case No. SC14-125 STATE OF FLORIDA,

Appellee. (2014, December 4). Retrieved July 7, 2020, from https://fall.law.fsu.edu/flsupct/sc14- 125/2014-125_brief_114032.pdf

Samaha, J. (2017). Criminal law. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

State v. Amber E. Wright. (n.d.). Retrieved July 7, 2020, from

https://law.justia.com/cases/florida/fifth-district-court-of-appeal/2015/5d14-4407.html

Valdez, K. (2012, June 12). PRESS RELEASE WWW.CIRCUIT5.ORG MARION COUNTY STATE OF FLORIDA V. AMBER WRIGHT. Retrieved July 11, 2020, from http://www.circuit5.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/amber-wright-verdict-6-12-12.pdf

Writer, N. G. (2016, February 23). Amber Wright sentenced to life in prison a second time for Summerfield murder. Retrieved July 08, 2020, from https://www.gainesville.com/article/20160223/news/604144771

Amber Wright Teen Killer The Murder Of Seath Jackson In Florida. (2020, May 03). Retrieved July 09, 2020, from https://mycrimelibrary.com/amber-wright-teen-killer/

Scholefield, K. (Director). (2016, June 29). Killer Women with Piers Morgan[Video file].

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/06/17/woman-convicted-of-teens-murder-to-be-released-from-prison/

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/who_uk_5954f375e4b02734df305e0b

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3401252/Ex-girlfriend-guilty-murder-luring-teen-home-beaten-shot-burnt-dismembered-Florida.html

https://www.ocala.com/story/news/crime/2019/09/12/summerfield-murder-michael-bargo-sentenced-to-death-again/2802023007/

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/fla-teens-found-guilty-in-murder-of-seath-jackson/

https://abcnews.go.com/US/teen-triangle-leads-vicious-murder-15-year-florida/story?id=13422887