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As the case surrounding a horrific triple murder in Fullerton unravels, the latest points to the fate of an unidentified 17-year-old girl. She was initially arrested along with two men—25-year-old Frank Felix and 21-year-old Joshua Acosta—in connection with the murder of Jennifer Goodwill Yost, 39; her husband, Christopher Yost 34; and their friend, 28-year-old William Boucher. Now, it has been revealed that the teen will not have charges filed against her, and she was scheduled to be released from custody Tuesday night, according to the OC Register. Meanwhile, charges have been filed against the two men. Both Felix and Acosta each face three counts of murder, with special circumstance allegations of multiple murder, the L.A. Times reports. Acosta is also accused of using a firearm. It is not clear if that teenage girl is the 17-year-old daughter of Goodwill Yost, Katlynn Goodwill Yost. Katlynn was described as missing shortly after the bodies of her mother and stepfather were found, but authorities later said they had found her safe and unharmed. Because law enforcement is not allowed to release the identities of juveniles accused of crimes, there is no official confirmation that the arrested teen and Katlynn are the same person.
On Saturday morning, police received a phone call from a child who said her parents were dead. When they responded to the home in the 400 block of Gilbert Street in Fullerton, they found the bodies of Goodwill Yost, Yost and Boucher. They also found Jennifer and Christopher’s two young daughters, ages 6 and 9, in the house, both unharmed. Acosta, Felix and the teen were arrested shortly thereafter.
It was later revealed that Goodwill Yost, Katlynn, Felix and Acosta were all members of the local furry community. Furries are people who enjoy the idea of animals with human characteristics, such as depicted in cartoons. They sometimes dress up in elaborate anthropomorphic costumes known as fur suits, but other times create characters that are depicted on badges that they wear to events. Melinda Giles, a friend of Goodwill Yost’s and a fellow furry, said that there was some conflict between Goodwill Yost and Felix over Katlynn.
"I don't know if [Felix and Katlynn] were involved romantically, but I know they were friends. All I know is that Jennifer called me very distraught a few weeks back telling me that she didn't want him around her daughter anymore," Giles told the OC Register.
Another neighbor told the Times that she heard that Goodwill Yost was upset because her daughter had been seeing an older man. In one of Felix's last Facebook posts, he described his current relationship status as "more complicated than a compact fusion core."
Felix also used Facebook to allegedly send a message to a friend indicating that he might be involved in a murder plot. In the message dated September 19, obtained by the Register, Felix appears to tell a friend named Cody Dunn that he is stressed out with something he can't talk about. The friend tells him not to talk to him about anything related to the "fandom," but Felix said it wasn't related to the fandom. "I might be assisting someone in murder," he explained. Felix later wrote that he was just talking about killing an animal. On Sunday, Dunn messaged Felix again, this time writing: "Wait u know daydream parents got murdered" (sic). "Daydream" was the name Katlynn went by in the furry community.
Dunn told the Register that he had met Felix through the furry scene, and never suspected he might really kill someone. He said that Felix was having trouble finding a job and was often very lonely. He said he knew Katlynn and Acosta as well, stating that Acosta was new to the community and mostly talked about his time spent in the Army.
Boucher's mother stated that her son was a friend of the family who stayed with them from time to time. There is no known connection between Boucher and the furry community. Giles said she felt as though Boucher was simply "in the wrong place at the wrong time" when he was killed. Boucher leaves behind a 5-year-old son of his own.
Christopher Yost's cousin, Stacy Businger, told LAist that Christopher and Jennifer Goodwill Yost had been together for about 11 years.
"They were very very kind people. Welcomed everyone into their home like they were family. My cousin never hated a soul," Businger said.
She says that right now, the family is seeking continued prayers and donations via a GoFundMe that has been set up to help cover funeral expenses and care for the couple's young daughters.
