Furry Culture, Sex Abuse and Murder: How a Calif. Man's 'Obsession' with Teen Turned Deadly

A California man was convicted of helping to kill three people, including the parents of a teen he became “obsessed with” after meeting her through the “furry” community, prosecutors said in a press release.

Frank Sato Felix, 33, was found guilty Tuesday, Nov. 12, of three counts of first-degree murder and three felony enhancements of multiple murders in connection with the deaths of Jennifer Goodwill Yost, 39, her 34-year-old husband Christopher Yost and the couple’s friend, Arthur William Boucher, 28, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Felix’s accomplice Joshua Charles Acosta, the triggerman, was convicted of three counts of murder in 2018 and is serving a life sentence for the slayings, the Los Angeles Times reported.

According to prosecutors, Jennifer Goodwill Yost introduced her then 17-year-old daughter to the “furry” community, whose members enjoy anthropomorphic animals and may dress up as the colorful characters, where she met Felix, then 25, and Acosta, a 21-year-old Army mechanic.

The teen and Felix, who went by “Entey,” in the furry community, became “romantically involved,” but her mother and stepfather ordered her to stay away from him, per prosecutors.

Prior to the murders, Felix allegedly wrote to the teen that she was "the only one and thing that makes me happy," according to the Orange County Register.

"He wanted to live happily ever after without any parental interference," Orange County prosecutor Seton Hunt said at trial, per the Register.

In the early morning hours of Sept. 24, 2016, Acosta and Felix made their way to the Yosts' Fullerton home with a plan “to help the 17-year-old to escape the home until she turned 18,” prosecutors said.

There, the duo entered the home where Acosta — using a shotgun and ammunition provided to him by Felix — fatally shot Jennifer in her bed. Christopher Yost was shot in the head as he tried to escape to an outside patio area. Boucher was shot in the head while he was sleeping on the couch. 

Acosta then fled the home and Felix and the teen drove to Felix’s home, where they tried to destroy their cellphones and burned their clothing.

It was the slain couple’s 6-year-old girl daughter who called 911 the next morning to report that “her mother is dead on the bed and her father is dead in the backyard,” according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

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“Upon [the officers’] arrival, two female children, ages 6 and 9 years of age, were standing on the front porch of the residence,” the warrant affidavit states.

“It was a grisly crime scene, and just to imagine two children to have to wake up expecting to see mom or dad and start their Saturday morning like most kids do, to see what they saw would be difficult for anyone in law enforcement – let alone two children,” Fullerton Police Department Sgt. Radus previously told PEOPLE.

Felix was picked up in Sun Valley, California, a suburb of Los Angeles County. Acosta was taken into custody in Fort Irwin, Calif.

During trial, Felix's attorney said Felix was only trying to help the girl escape from her parents and that he didn't know of Acosta's plan, at first, to kill the couple.

A sentencing date for Felix is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2025.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.