FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Case # 16NF2644
Date: December 14, 2018
MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES TRIPLE MURDER OF COUPLE AND THEIR FRIEND IN FULLERTON
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man was sentenced today to life in state prison without the possibility of parole for the special circumstances triple murder of a couple and their friend in Fullerton.
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Defendant |
Charges |
Sentence |
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Joshua Charles Acosta, 23, Fort Irwin
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Found guilty by a jury on Nov. 8, 2018, of the following felony counts:
Sentencing Enhancements
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Life in state prison without the possibility of parole, plus 75 years in state prison |
Codefendant Frank Sato Felix, 27, Sun Valley, is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on Feb 1, 2019, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-30, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
Circumstances of the Case
- In the early morning hours of Sept. 24, 2016, Acosta entered the Fullerton home of 39-year-old Jennifer Goodwill-Yost and her husband 34-year-old Christopher Yost, where the victims’ friend, 28-year-old Arthur William Boucher, was also staying the night.
- Felix is accused of helping Acosta acquire a shotgun and waiting in a truck outside the home.
- Acosta entered the living room and shot Boucher in the head as the victim slept on the couch.
- The defendant then went to the master bedroom and shot Goodwill-Yost in the face.
- Yost awoke and Acosta shot the victim in the head as he was fleeing outside.
- Felix is accused of driving Acosta to Felix’s home where they attempted to destroy evidence.
- Minor children residing in the home discovered the bodies in the morning and called the Fullerton Police Department (FPD), who investigated this case.
- FPD located and arrested Felix at his home in Sun Valley and Acosta in his barracks at Fort Irwin.
At the sentencing today, emotional impact statements were given by many members of the victims’ families pursuant to Marsy’s Law.
Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Troy Pino, Homicide Unit