Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Bizarre 'Furry' Frenzied Murder Leaves 3 People Dead

Episode Date: November 15, 2024

Frank Felix was found guilty this week of three counts of murder with special circumstances for the 2016 murders of Jennifer Yost, her husband, Christopher Yost and their friend, Billy Boucher. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Felix was obsessed with the Yost's 17-year-old daughter who he met at a furry convention and enlisted the help of an Army veteran to kill her parents and their friend. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy looks at the sad and bizarre case in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Download the FREE Upside App at https://upside.app.link/crimefix to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.Host:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Guest: Adanté Pointer https://x.com/AdanteEsqCRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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a teenage girl. I dive into the details of this sad and bizarre murder plot out of California and why the case isn't over just yet. Welcome to Crime Fix. I'm Anjanette Levy. This case goes back to 2016. It's bizarre, but more than that, it's incredibly sad. 33-year-old Frank Felix has been convicted of helping plan and carry out the murders of three people, including a mother and stepfather in Fullerton, California. It all began when Felix met Jennifer Goodwill Yost, 17-year-old teenage daughter, at a furry convention. First of all, you might know what a furry is, and then maybe some of you don't, so let's talk about that.

Furries are people who like to dress up as animals or creatures. The furry fandom is a global phenomenon. Hundreds of thousands of people identify as furries, and they've created their own subculture worldwide. The furry community is made up of artists, gamers, and role players, and this online community is local and international with dozens of conventions held annually. Now Felix was a part of this furry community and he was obsessed according to the Orange County DA. And he became infatuated

with Jennifer Yost's teenage daughter. And I have to be clear about this. Jennifer Yost was also a furry as was her husband and her teenage daughter. Felix and the teen became romantically involved, which concerned Jennifer and her husband, Christopher. So when the Yosts expressed their disapproval over the eight-year age gap, that's when Felix voiced his feelings on Facebook using another first name. I was the only person to really satisfy you in all ways possible.

Sad thing I know is you are trying to kill all those feelings and try and never come back to you, but you will. It's in your nature. I just hope you're going to regret everything you've done to me and everything you could have done and live with that guilt you've out on yourself every day. And four days before the murder, he messaged a friend discussing his plan. I might be assisting someone in murder. Wow. Later in the conversation, he adds, it's just killing an animal. On September 24th, 2016, the Orange County DA says Frank Felix provided a shotgun and ammunition to kill Jennifer Yost and her husband, Christopher Yost, the 17-year-old girl's stepfather. Joshua Acosta is an Army veteran who's now serving life in prison, he's already been

convicted for shooting and killing the Yosts and their houseguest, Billy Butcher. Acosta shot Jennifer in the face as she slept and then shot Christopher as he tried to escape through the patio door. The 17-year-old girl, according to the DA, had already left the house and was in a vehicle with Felix before the shooting started. Sadly, the Yost's six-year-old and nine-year-old children found them dead when they woke up. Can you imagine? The teen is now in her 20s and was given a form of immunity to testify against Felix and Acosta at their trials. Felix will be sentenced in January. The Orange County D.A., Todd Spitzer, issued the following statement.

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. The trauma inflicted on those little girls compounded by the loss of 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. I want to tell you about Upside. It's a free app that gets you cash back on things like gas, groceries, and restaurants. This is real cash back, money that appears in your Upside app that you can transfer straight into your bank account. I used Upside when I went to Dunkin' Donuts

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To find out how much you could earn, click the link in the description to download Upside or scan the QR code on your screen and use our promo code CrimeFix to get an extra 25 cents back on every gallon on your first tank of gas. That's promo code CrimeFix for extra cash back. I want to bring in Adante Pointer. He practices law in California. Adante, I feel like we always talk about these just truly horrific cases. This one is absolutely awful. We have a six-year-old and a nine-year-old girl waking up to find their parents murdered in horrific fashion. Now we have the alleged mastermind convicted of murdering not only Christopher Yost and his wife, Jennifer Yost, but their house guest as well. So your thoughts on this case?

It's the type of case, if you will, scenario that you see play out in movies where someone comes in into the home in the still of the night and commits some type of atrocities like this. Never did you think it would play out in real life, and it did, and it did, unfortunately and tragically here. The type of situation we have is the one that you would expect that these are the type of people, now that they're convicted, that should never see the streets again, period. And I want to ask you about that because Acosta, the person who was convicted of being the actual shooter in this case, he is already serving life in prison without the possibility of parole. Now, Frank Felix will be sentenced in January. I can't imagine. I mean, he's got been convicted

of three counts of murder with special circumstances. I can't imagine that the judge in this case will not sentence him to life in prison without parole. I don't see it going down any other way. I mean, he's, as you mentioned, you know, at the end of the day, three people were killed, all of them innocent, all of them in their home, in the most vulnerable position, all because an adult essentially wanted to be with a minor child who was soon to become an adult. Violence is never the answer. And here there was a gratuitous use of violence, I would bet all my money, if you will, that the judge is going to ensure that whatever sentence is minted out, that he will never see the light of day outside of a prison here in California. He'll spend the rest of his life behind gates and bars and will die

there as well, is my prediction. The facts in this case are so particularly strange. And we have a 17-year-old girl. We're not identifying her because she was a minor back then. And now she's not. She's an adult. But she, I guess, is in some respects considered a victim. But I'm a little bit, I'm kind of going back and forth on that because she was 17 at the time. She went out to the vehicle. You know, she may have been kind of under this guy's spell and coerced by him. But she was probably on her. She was obviously on her way to being 18 years old.

She was given some form of immunity to testify at these trials. I don't know if she could still, you know, be charged in some respect regarding this, but it's just absolutely heinous. But he was obsessed with her, according to the DA. He became so obsessed that he orchestrated these horrific murders. I mean, her mother, Jennifer, was shot in the face as she slept with a shotgun by Acosta. And they met through this furry subculture where people, they dress up as cats. I mean, mostly it's cats, but it's other costumes as well. So talk to me about this aspect of it, this man becoming obsessed with a 17-year-old girl

that he meets through the furry culture. Every parent's nightmare that your minor child somehow comes across a deranged adult who then cajoles, persuades, and essentially coerces them into a relationship that turns deadly. And this is a situation, the furry culture, as you mentioned, people are dressing up as animals, as cats. It's not thought of to be violent in that way. But it turned that way because of the deranged mind of Acosta and what he and what his co-defendant put together here. And so although she was 17 and technically a minor, you have to believe that she wasn't so much under the spell

than when she heard three shotgun blasts go off in her home. And what you would think, given it's a shotgun and the way it was used, that Acosta comes out covered in blood, she knew what had taken place. And if she still, I mean, she may have been in panic and fear, but for her to kind of go along with this plot at that point is just jaw dropping and it's shocking. And frankly, it's sickening. But I also understand the prosecution likely gave her immunity because who else was going to be there to tell the story? You only had the two people involved, the two co-defendants and her. The kids were asleep and the other three witnesses, unfortunately, victims were dead. So I understand the prosecution was probably in a little bit of a pickle in terms of finding a witness who

could tell the story and ensure a conviction. Yeah, I mean, quite the pickle. I mean, this is just horrifying to me. And, you know, we found photographs of the furry costumes. I mean, it's, you know, this is kind of this whole interesting part of this. And I mean, I hate to even call it interesting because it's so terribly sad. But, you know, the parents were involved in this furry thing, too. I mean, they were obviously the whole family liked doing this and, you know, dressing up in the costumes. It's a big deal. I guess this is what a lot of people do. And I guess Felix, Frank Felix was also a brony, which is I don't know if you know about this, Adante, but I'll tell you. It's where, you know, men like My Little Pony and they're really into

it. And there are brony conventions all over the place too. So it's my understanding he was into the My Little Pony stuff too. But it's like they get into these different things, and then they have these big conventions about it. It's just very sad to me that the whole family is involved in this whole furry culture, and then somehow she meets this guy through this, and this unfolds. Do you see any way, because there are different forms of immunity. somehow she meets this guy through this and this unfolds. You know, do you see any way, because there are different forms of immunity, there are different forms of immunity.

I mean, all different kinds. You know, there are kind of like blanket immunity deals. Is there a way that the DA possibly charges her in some respect, even though she did cooperate and testify. Well, you know, a part of immunity deals at times is that the person gets his granted immunity if they tell the truth and if they take the stand and participate fully and completely in the prosecution of the defendants. So if the DA takes a position that she lied, covered up, didn't participate, then perhaps the immunity deal is broken and they could prosecute her for what her role was

in the senseless killings. But that'll be up for the DA as obviously a judge too, because I'd imagine if the DA were to move to try to prosecute her, the first thing her defense attorney would say, they would bandy around the immunity deal and say, hey, she's free from being prosecuted. The DA cannot proceed. So I'm sure that would be a hotly contested motion, if you will, if the DA were to proceed upon that way. But given the DA got two convictions and the magnitude and these people were sentenced to multiple murders with enhancements and so on and so forth, it might not be something that the DA would actually pursue unless, once again, she broke the immunity deal agreement or they find some other aspect of what took place here that wasn't covered by the terms of the immunity agreement.

I mean, just a really, a really horrifically sad case. I mean, there's, there's not nowhere really to go with this any further. I mean, you've got Acosta who's already serving life in prison. Felix will be sentenced in January. I'm sure he will appeal. So the case, I guess, will end, but there still is, it sounds like, a possibility, possibly, depending on the level of immunity the 17-year-old girl, now in her 20s, was given, that other charges could be filed. Yeah. The case, you know, oftentimes when people go to trial, you know, the case does not end at conviction.

There are a number of appeals that take place. There's a number of reviews that'll take place by appellate courts. And so the case, although this phase may be coming to a conclusion, this horrific tragedy will still continue to be played out and discussed and debated in courtrooms and in legal briefs for years to come. So we'll have to stay tuned as to the developments.

But as you mentioned, it's such a heinous act, such a tragedy to take place. And I'm sure this family, especially her parents, who may have introduced her to the furry culture, did that with no type of clue or idea or intent that this would be the murderous conclusion of the family's participation and something that's akin to Comic-Con or anime. Just sad all the way around.

Yeah, most certainly not. I'm sure they never ever, their minds never went here. Well, we will keep an eye on it. Thank you so much, Adante Pointer. We appreciate your time as always. Absolutely. Till we meet again. And that's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Anjanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.