Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - death penalty? Part Two

By Nick Dorsten, Esq.

Part two of a possible death penalty case, story from an Orlando website...

OCALA, Fla. -- Six people, including a 15-year-old girl and three other teens, were arrested Tuesday in the murder of a 15-year-old Belleview boy, whose body was burned and shoveled into paint cans, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Detectives said the victim was attacked and shot Sunday after being lured to a home on 53rd Avenue in Summerfield.

According to deputies, the victim was hit in the head with a wooden object and shot multiple times by 18-year-old Michael Bargo, who is charged with first-degree murder.

The others arrested were:

•Charlie Kay Ely, 18, of Summerfield, who is charged with first-degree murder.
•A juvenile, 15, of Summerfield, who is charged with first-degree murder.
•Justin Soto, 20, of Summerfield, who is charged with first-degree murder.
•James Haven III, 37, of Summerfield, who is charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.
•Another juvenile, 16, of Summerfield, who is charged with first-degree murder.

Deputies said those involved were involved in the planning and luring of the victim to the home.

On Tuesday, a woman told deputies her 16-year-old son had witnessed the victim's slaying in a house in Summerfield, near Ocala.

Authorities said the 16-year-old, who is not being identified because he hasn't been charged, told investigators the group plotted the slaying because Bargo hated the victim. The plan called for the female juvenile to lure him to the home by a text message.

Once he arrived at the house, deputies said, Ely and Bargo began hitting him in the head with wooden objects. According to the sheriff's office, Bargo then shot the victim several times. When the deceased tried to escape, Soto held him down while Bargo continued to shoot him, authorities said.

Then, according to the report, Bargo broke the teen's knees and group members hog-tied him and put his body in a sleeping bag, which was placed in a fire pit in the back yard and burned.

At that point, the sheriff's office said, the group used bleach to clean the house and shoveled his remains into 5-gallon paint cans.


Bargo was located and arrested in Starke, where he fled to stay with friends, deputies said.

The Sheriff's Office said it was later discovered that Havens was aware of the plan to kill the victim and assisted with the disposal of the remains. Havens also gave Bargo a ride to Starke in an effort to avoid capture, deputies said.

Investigators are still searching for a .22-caliber revolver used in the slaying. The Sheriff's Office said a dive team found a 5-gallon paint bucket weighed down by a cement block Wednesday afternoon in a lime rock pit off State Road 40 and the contents were being tested to determine if they contain the victim's remains.

Bargo has previously been arrested on burglary and theft charges.

Deputies told Local 6 News that Bargo and Soto were on suicide watch at the Marion County Jail. The juveniles were being held at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center.

Have you or someone you love been arrested for a violent crime or a criminal offense? Then call the St. Petersburg criminal defense attorneys today for a free consultation!

For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.