On September 24, 2016, 28-year-old Arthur "Billy" Boucher was tragically murdered in Fullerton, California, while staying at the home of his friends, Jennifer Goodwill-Yost and her husband, Christopher Yost. Boucher was asleep on the living room couch when he was fatally shot in the head by Joshua Charles Acosta, an Army mechanic stationed at Fort Irwin.
Acosta also murdered Jennifer and Christopher Yost during the same incident.
The motive behind these heinous acts was rooted in Acosta's and his accomplice, Frank Sato Felix's, obsession with the Yosts' 17-year-old daughter, whom they had met through the "furry" subculture—a community where individuals dress up as anthropomorphic animal characters. Felix, then 25, had developed a romantic relationship with the teenager, which her parents strongly disapproved of. In response, Felix and Acosta conspired to help the girl escape her family home until she turned 18. On the night of the murders, after the household had gone to sleep, the teenager left the house to join Felix in his truck, while Acosta entered the home armed with a shotgun provided by Felix. Acosta proceeded to kill Boucher, who was sleeping on the couch, then shot Jennifer Yost in the face in her bedroom, and finally killed Christopher Yost as he attempted to flee.
Following the murders, Acosta and Felix fled with the teenager to Felix's residence in Sun Valley, where they attempted to destroy evidence by burning their clothes and cell phones. The following morning, the Yosts' six-year-old and nine-year-old daughters discovered the bodies and called 911. Fullerton Police Department detectives arrested Felix at his home and Acosta at his military barracks. In November 2018, Acosta was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Felix was convicted in November 2024 on similar charges and is scheduled for sentencing on January 17, 2025, facing a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
