MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Jurors heard opening statements on Wednesday in the trial of two teenagers accused of murdering a Marion County teenager.
As the testimony began, the jury also heard from the victim's mother.
Amber Wright, 16, and her brother Kyle Hooper, 17, were both charged in the killing of Seath Jackson.
Investigators said Jackson was tortured and then killed.
Prosecutors said Hooper and Wright were part of a scheme hatched by five people to kill 15-year-old Jackson.
The siblings are standing trial together, but two juries are in the courtroom, one panel for each defendant.
Jackson was beaten and shot to death in a Summerfield home in April 2011. His body was then burned, cut up and stuffed into 5-gallon paint buckets.
Neighbor Steve Montanez testified that he saw part of the fight.
"And what did the guys that ran after the kid do?" asked Berndt.
"Beat him up, and then brought him in the house," said Montanez.
The Jackson's mother, Sonya Jackson, struggled to fight back the tears as she testified about text messages she traded with her son an hour before he was killed.
"Did Seath text you later on that evening about a ride home?" Jackson was asked in court.
"Yes," she replied.
"Want to take a brief recess?"
"No. Let's just get this over with," she replied.
Prosecutors said Wright used to date Jackson and conspired with Hooper and three other people to kill him.
"Kyle Hooper hated Seath Jackson. Kyle Hooper wanted Seath Jackson dead," said prosecutor Amy Berndt.
Two of the defendants have already been convicted. The accused shooter, Michael Bargo, is awaiting trial.
"Amber Wright wanted Seath Jackson dead, and Amber Wright helped plan the murder," said Berndt.
Wright and Hooper face life in prison if convicted.
WFTV
