The Murder of Seath Jackson

Seath Jackson was born on February 3, 1996 to parents Scott and Sonia Jackson. He was the youngest of three, with two older brothers, Scott Jr. and Stephan Jackson. Seath was described as a kindhearted kid who dreamed of becoming a UFC fighter, liked to make people laugh, loved hanging out with his friends and four-wheeling with his family, who describe him as an animal lover. In 2011, Seath Jackson was a 15 year old sophomore at Belleview High School. His best friend was William Samalot.

At some point on April 17th, 2011, Sonia Jackson messaged Seath to see if he needed a ride home. His response of “never mind bitch!” was very, very out of character. Sonia Jackson said he’d never spoken to her that way before. She thought that maybe he was in a sudden teenager-y mood and let it pass. He told her he was staying with friends; she assumed that meant William since he stayed there often. When William called Sonia to say he couldn’t get in touch with Seath, Sonia knew something was wrong. Scott and Sonia Jackson reported Seath Jackson missing on April 18, 2011.

Seath Jackson and Amber Wright began a relationship in December 2010 and broke up in March 2011. Amber, then 15, began dating a then 18-year-old Michael Bargo. Seath reportedly took the break up poorly. In the run up to Seath’s disappearance, they had been feuding on Facebook in public comments.

Authorities got a tip the next day that lead them to Seath’s burned remains. The remains were left in a flooded Ocala, Florida quarry. They were placed in paint buckets and weighed down with cinder blocks. Partial remains were also discovered in a burn pit in the yard of a home in Summerfield, Florida. Police determined Seath was beaten and shot in the head with a .22-caliber bullet before being burned and then dismembered.

At the time, Michael Bargo lived at Charlie Ely’s house along with Kyle Hooper (then 16) and Justin Soto (then 20). Amber, Kyle’s sister, stayed there frequently. The police learned from Kyle and Amber’s mother on April 19, 2011, that Seath was killed at Charlie’s house; Kyle’s mother learned it from Kyle.

Amber Wright and Michael Bargo

During the investigation police discovered that Michael Bargo had threatened to kill Seath before, and that Kyle was angry because he found out Seath slept with a girl he was dating named Alyssa. Court documents indicate Kyle messaged that girl about killing Seath. Seath’s friend William Samalot said Michael falsely believed that Seath had abused Amber, and there was a history of animosity between Michael and Seath.

On April 17, Michael talked to the others about killing Seath. Amber would lure Seath to the house, and Justin, Michael, and Kyle would catch him by surprise. William Samalot told police that on April 17, he and Seath were at a friend’s place but left each others company around 9:15 p.m. when Seath headed toward Charlie’s house.

Text messages between Amber and Seath from that night showed that she asked him to come over to work things out. Seath met Amber and Charlie, and they headed to Charlie’s home together.

Once inside, Kyle struck Seath in the head with an axe handle, while Justin attacked him as well, and Michael shot him twice with a .22-caliber firearm. An injured Seath somehow ran from the house while Amber and Charlie hid in another room. Justin chased Seath outside and tackled him in the front yard, where Michael shot him again.

The three men carried Seath back into the house and put him in the bathtub where Seath’s kneecaps were shattered so he could fit in a sleeping bag. Realizing he was still alive, Michael shot Seath several more times. They placed the body in the sleeping bag, then put it in a firepit and burned the remains. Reportedly they stayed up partying while the body burned. The remains were then put into paint buckets.

The next morning, Michael and Justin went to a quarry in Ocala; they were driven there by James Havens, Amber and Kyle’s stepdad, who caught a charge as an accessory.

Seath’s remains, in paint buckets, were dropped into the water weighed down with cinderblocks. Kyle helped Amber and Charlie clean with bleach but evidence remained in the house. Charlie’s DNA was found in a blood mixture in the bathroom, Kyle’s DNA was found in a blood mixture in the living room that also contained Seath’s blood, Michael’s DNA was located in blood on the kitchen ceiling. DNA analysis of the remains found at the quarry and the firepit showed they came from the same person, the biological son of Sonia and Scott Jackson. Authorities found a projectile in the remains as well.

Tracy Havens, Amber and Kyle’s mom, brought Kyle to the police station. Kyle was interviewed by Detective Rhonda Stroup, with his mom in the room. He told Detective Stroup that Amber had Seath come to the house so that she could talk to him, and that Michael shot Seath, and that he was dead. Amber also gave a statement backing Kyle’s version of events. She maintained her innocence, saying she was locked in a bathroom with Charlie, and that Michael threatened them.

Michael also told several people different versions of a story about getting into a fight and killing someone before burning the body. He claimed in one version it was because the person raped his sister, and in another version, raped his girlfriend.

Authorities promptly arrested all five. Michael Bargo was found hiding at a friend’s house.

In June 2012, Amber and Kyle were found guilty of first degree murder. Amber had a retrial in early 2016 ending with the same verdict. Charlie and Justin also received life sentences, but Charlie’s conviction was vacated in 2020, leading to a guilty plea on a lesser charge and an eventual release. Michael was sentenced to death.

Amber Wright will serve life in prison for her role in the murder of her ex boyfriend, Seath Jackson. Her sentence will be subject to review after 25 years.

“I have not seen or heard anything more despicable than what lead to Seath Jackson's death,” Circuit Judge Anthony Tatti told Wright at her sentencing.

“I cannot imagine a circumstance any worse, and I pray to my God that the reason behind all this is some chemical imbalance or a brain that hasn't matured. It's really hard to deal with the notion that such an evil could exist without an explanation,” Tatti continued.

Tatti echoed Circuit Judge David Eddy, who first sentenced Wright in 2012. Eddy called the murder the most heinous he had seen in 15 years as a judge.

In a letter she read aloud at the hearing, Sonia Jackson emphasized Wright's role in a deliberately planned murder. Jackson asked Tatti to sentence her to life.

“It doesn't take a fully developed mind to understand right from wrong,” Jackson said. “A 2-year-old learns that hurting others is not acceptable in our society.”

Speaking to Wright, Jackson repeated the words she read at Wright's original sentencing: “Amber, we hope that guilt eats you inside and out knowing that you caused all this,” she said. “You fed into Bargo's deranged desires with your lies. All of this happened because of you.”

Bargo was the gunman, and is currently on death row. Prosecutors emphasized that Wright's text messages lured Seath to the home that night. In an interview recorded at the Marion County Sheriff's Office before her arrest, which the jury heard at trial, Wright said Bargo pressured her to contact Seath.

Family members who spoke in Wright's defense acknowledged the Jackson family's pain, but emphasized that Wright had matured since the murder. “I just hope and pray that you can make the right decision and give her a chance to be the person she could be,” Wright's mother pleaded. Wright said she feels guilty and remorseful, and that she is trying to be a better person.

“I'm not going to say a wonderful person,” she said. “I'm not. I make mistakes. I still do. I just hope one day I'll be allowed to have that chance to prove myself. “Not just to you or to anybody else, but to myself as well.”

Tatti, who announced that he had never sentenced anyone to life in prison in five years as a judge, sentenced Wright to life in prison, with a review after 25 years.

“I hope that what's responsible for that is some lack of development in your brain, something that you can grow out of,” he told Wright. “That would give me some hope.”