A 33-year-old Sun Valley man, Frank Sato Felix, has been found guilty of three counts of special circumstances murder for his role in a gruesome plot that led to the deaths of a Fullerton couple and a family friend. The verdict was delivered Tuesday at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.
Felix faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. His sentencing is scheduled for January 17, 2025, in Department C30.
The case stems from the September 24, 2016, killings of 39-year-old Jennifer Goodwill-Yost, her 35-year-old stepfather Christopher Yost, and their houseguest, 28-year-old Arthur “Billy” Boucher. The victims were murdered in their Fullerton home.
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The investigation revealed that Felix, then 25, had become obsessed with the Yosts’ 17-year-old daughter, whom he met through the “furry” subculture – a community involving people who dress in animal costumes. The girl’s mother had introduced her to this subculture. It was there she also met 21-year-old Joshua Charles Acosta, an Army mechanic stationed at Ft. Irwin in Barstow.
Felix developed a romantic relationship with the teenager, a relationship that was strongly disapproved of by her mother and stepfather. Driven by this disapproval, Felix and Acosta allegedly hatched a plan to help the 17-year-old escape her home until she turned 18.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Felix provided the ammunition and the shotgun used in the murders. On the night of the killings, Felix and Acosta drove to the Yosts’ Fullerton residence. After the parents and Boucher went to sleep, the 17-year-old girl left with Felix in his truck.
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Acosta then proceeded to shoot Boucher in the head as he slept on the living room couch. He then entered the master bedroom and fatally shot Jennifer Goodwill-Yost in the face. Christopher Yost attempted to flee but was shot in the head as he tried to escape to the outside patio area.
Following the horrific acts, Acosta fled the scene, leaving the Yosts’ two young daughters, aged six and nine, alone in the house with the bodies of their parents and their friend. Acosta then met up with the 17-year-old girl and Felix at Felix’s Sun Valley home, where they allegedly burned their clothes and attempted to destroy their cell phones.
The two young sisters awoke to the devastating scene and called 911.
Fullerton Police Department detectives subsequently arrested Felix at his Sun Valley residence, while Acosta was apprehended at his barracks at Fort Irwin.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer expressed his profound sorrow over the case. “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,” said Spitzer. “The trauma inflicted on those little girls compounded by the loss both of their parents in such a violent way is beyond heartbreaking. Violence is never the answer, and a sick and twisted plan turned into life behind bars for two young men.”
Acosta was previously convicted for his role in the murders and is also facing a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Felix’s conviction marks another step in the legal proceedings surrounding this tragic case that shocked the local community.
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