State Seeks Death Penalty For Man Accused of Killing Roommate Over Playstation Gaming System

Jake Bilotta, 22, charged with First Degree Premeditated Murder

ABOVE VIDEO: Florida prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty for a man who is accused of killing his roommate over a Playstation gaming system last year. (WFTV Video)

SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA – Florida prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty for a man who is accused of killing his roommate over a Playstation gaming system last year.

State prosecutors filed formal notice of intent to seek the death penalty for 22-year-old Jake Adam Bilotta on the charge of First Degree Premeditated Murder in the killing of 24-year-old Joshua Barnes.

A grand jury indicted Bilotta on December 11, 2018.

According to state prosecutors, Bilotta planned to lure his former roommate on to a residence in unincorporated Maitland to get revenge for the theft of a Playstation.

When Bilotta entered the house on November 27, 2018, he attacked Barnes and stabbed him to death.

A second suspect, 21-year-old Ian McClurg, was initially planning to help Bilotta carry out the attack but McClurg abandoned the plan shortly before the attack.

Bilotta and McClurg were arrested after a roommate walked in on the two men trying to place Barnes’ body in plastic bags. The roommate immediately called 911 and alerted authorities.

McClurg has been charged with conspiracy to commit capital murder, tampering with evidence and accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

Prosecutors have described the murder as “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel” and “was committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification.”

Bilotta and McClurg will remain in custody with No Bond at the Seminole County Jail.

The case is set for Docket Review before Judge John Galluzzo on March 6 at 8:30 a.m. from the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center.

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS

Similar Stories