Death recommended for man convicted of killing, burning remains of Summerfield teen

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MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A jury recommended death Tuesday evening for a man convicted of killing his friend, cutting up his body and setting his remains on fire.

Michael Bargo was sentenced to death row for the murder of 15-year-old Seath Jackson in 2011, but he was resentenced because the first jury's decision was not unanimous.

Jurors deliberated for almost five hours before handing down the sentence.

Defense attorneys asked the jury to consider that Bargo was 18 years old at the time of the killing and his brain hadn't fully matured.

They also argued he wasn't the mastermind behind the killing.

In April 2011, Amber Wright, then 18, lured Jackson into a Summerfield home.

Bargo and three others killed Jackson, burned his body, stuffed the remains in paint pockets and dumped them in a rock quarry in Ocala.

The state argued Bargo didn't show any mental health issues when he carried out the crime.

Four others are serving life sentences in connection with the murder: Justin Soto, Charlie Ely, Kyle Hooper and Amber Wright.

An Ocala man, James Young Havens III, faces up to 30 years in prison for helping dispose of Jackson's body.

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A man who hired Bargo to care for his lawn testified Thursday that he owed Bargo money and gave him a pistol as payment after Bargo asked for the gun, Channel 9 reporter Jeff Deal tweeted from the courtroom.

A medical examiner testified that Jackson died from gunshot wounds and blunt-force trauma. The medical examiner also said there was residue from a bullet in part of his skull that was recovered.

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