It started with a text message about a hoodie.
In April 2011, Seath Jackson, a 15-year-old kid from Summerfield, Florida, thought he was headed to a friend's house to clear the air with his ex-girlfriend. He never made it home. The story of Amber Wright and Seath Jackson is often cited as one of the most brutal examples of "juvenile" crime in modern history, but the term "juvenile" doesn't quite capture the calculated horror of what happened in that Marion County mobile home.
Honestly, when you look at the details, it feels less like a spur-of-the-moment teenage mistake and more like a scripted execution.
The Setup: A Bitter Breakup and a Deadly Trap
Seath and Amber had been dating for a few months before things went south in March 2011. It was your typical middle-school-turned-high-school drama—accusations of cheating, nasty social media posts, and a lot of teenage posturing. But it escalated when Amber started seeing 18-year-old Michael Bargo.
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Bargo wasn't just a new boyfriend; he was the catalyst. He allegedly became obsessed with the idea that Seath had been abusive to Amber. Whether that was true or just a justification Bargo used to fuel his own rage is still debated, but the result was a plan. A plan to "take care" of Seath Jackson.
On April 17, 2011, Amber Wright sent Seath a series of messages. She told him she still loved him. She said she wanted to work things out. Seath was skeptical. He actually texted her back saying, "Amber if you have me jump[ed] I will never give you the time of day."
She replied: "I could never do that to y[o]u."
He believed her.
What Happened Inside the House
When Seath arrived at the home of 18-year-old Charlie Ely, he wasn't met with a reconciliation. He was met with an ambush.
A group of five people was waiting:
- Michael Bargo (the ringleader)
- Amber Wright (the lure)
- Kyle Hooper (Amber's brother)
- Justin Soto
- Charlie Ely
The attack was relentless. Seath was hit over the head with a wooden object, then shot multiple times. Reports from the trial details are stomach-turning. Bargo reportedly shot Seath, but when the teen tried to crawl away, the group continued the assault. They eventually moved him to a bathtub, where Bargo finished the job.
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But the horror didn't stop with the murder.
To hide the evidence, the group placed Seath’s body in a fire pit in the backyard. They burned his remains for hours. The next day, they put the ashes into five-gallon paint buckets and dumped them into a nearby lime quarry. It’s the kind of detail that makes you realize how disconnected from reality these kids were. They thought they could just "delete" a human being.
The Legal Maze: Why Amber Wright Was Tried Twice
If you follow true crime, you know the name Amber Wright because of the massive legal back-and-forth that followed.
In 2012, she was convicted of first-degree murder. But that wasn't the end of it. In 2014, a Florida appeals court threw out her conviction. Why? Because the police hadn't properly read her her Miranda rights during the initial interrogation. Basically, they interviewed her for hours before officially telling her she had the right to remain silent.
She got a second trial in 2016. The outcome? Exactly the same. A jury took only two hours to find her guilty of first-degree murder again.
The Sentences for the "Summerfield Five"
The legal outcomes for everyone involved vary wildly due to Florida's changing laws on juvenile sentencing:
- Michael Bargo: Sentenced to death. He remains on death row and is one of the youngest people there.
- Amber Wright: Sentenced to life in prison. However, because she was a juvenile at the time, she is eligible for a sentence review after 25 years.
- Kyle Hooper: Also sentenced to life with a 25-year review.
- Justin Soto: Sentenced to life.
- Charlie Ely: She actually got out. After serving nearly a decade, her conviction was vacated due to ineffective counsel. She took a plea deal for second-degree murder and was released in 2020.
The 2026 Status: Where Are They Now?
As of early 2026, Amber Wright remains incarcerated at the Homestead Correctional Institution. Under current Florida law, she will eventually have the chance to argue for a reduced sentence because she was 15 when the crime happened.
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There is a lot of public debate about whether she deserves that chance. Her mother has often appeared in documentaries and news segments, arguing that Amber was a "follower" manipulated by Bargo. But the prosecution—and Seath’s family—remains firm. They point to the text messages. They point to the fact that she lured him there knowing what would happen.
Sonia Jackson, Seath’s mother, has been a tireless advocate for her son. In every hearing, she reminds the court that Seath doesn't get a "second chance" or a "sentence review."
Real Talk: The Red Flags We Often Miss
The Amber Wright and Seath Jackson case is a case study in how social media can turn a schoolyard grudge into a homicide.
If there’s anything to learn from this tragedy, it’s about the "echo chamber" effect of toxic friend groups. Not one of the five people in that house stood up and said, "This is insane. Let's stop." Instead, they fed off each other's adrenaline and Bargo's manipulation.
If you’re looking for actionable takeaways from this case, they aren't about legal loopholes or prison reform. They’re about the digital footprints of violence.
- Monitor Escalation: In 2011, the threats were on Facebook and through SMS. Today, they're on Snapchat and Discord. If a conflict moves from "we broke up" to "I have a bullet with your name on it," it’s no longer just drama.
- The "Lure" Tactic: This case is frequently used by law enforcement to teach about the dangers of meeting people in private locations after a conflict. Even if you think you know someone, the presence of others changes the dynamic entirely.
- Legal Accountability: Many young people believe that if they "didn't pull the trigger," they aren't responsible. Florida’s principal-to-first-degree-murder laws prove otherwise. If you help plan it or lure the victim, you are just as guilty in the eyes of the law.
The quarry where Seath was dumped is a quiet place now, but the case remains a loud warning about the thin line between teenage angst and irreparable evil.
For those following the case, the next major milestone will be the 25-year review hearings for Wright and Hooper. Until then, the focus remains on the family Seath left behind and the reality that a 15-year-old’s life was traded for a grudge.