Florida man found guilty of fatally stabbing victim over stolen PlayStation
12/16/2022 1:24 pm PST
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. (TCD) -- A man was recently found guilty in a 2018 revenge murder plot over a stolen PlayStation and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
On Friday, Dec. 16, the State Attorney’s Office for the 18th Circuit announced that Jake Bilotta was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Joshua Barnes. Prosecutors argued "the motive was revenge for theft of a PlayStation, not self-defense as Bilotta claimed."
According to the State Attorney’s Office, Ian McClurg and Bilotta devised a plan to lure their former roommate and victim to a home on South Boulevard in unincorporated Maitland, Florida. The victim had reportedly stolen the PlayStation earlier that week.
When Barnes entered the home, Bilotta attacked Barnes and stabbed him to death, the State Attorney’s Office said. McClurg allegedly abandoned the plan and did not partake in the stabbing.
A roommate came home from a Tinder date and walked in on Bilotta and McClurg trying to place the body into plastic bags and called 911, WKMG-TV reports.
On Jan. 7, 2020, McClurg entered a plea deal on charges of accessory after the fact and tampering with physical evidence, the State Attorney’s Office said. He was reportedly sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections, followed by 10 years of supervised probation, and agreed to testify against Bilotta. According to the State Attorney’s Office, "McClurg was then sentenced to five years DOC (concurrent) for tampering with physical evidence."
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