MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Jake Bilotta: Florida man gets life for killing ex-roommate in ‘revenge’ for stealing his PlayStation

'The motive was revenge for the theft of a PlayStation, not self-defense as Bilotta claimed,' said prosecutors

MAITLAND, FLORIDA: A Florida man was convicted of killing a former roommate with a knife in "revenge" for stealing his PlayStation, according to the prosecutors. A jury found Jake Bilotta, 26, guilty in the first degree of murdering Joshua Barnes, 24, in Maitland in 2018.

After the court disregarded Bilotta's claims of self-defense, he was given a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the chance of parole. Ian McClurg, 25, who shared a room with Bilotta, admitted to being an accessory following the fact and tampering with evidence in 2020 and then testified against him at the trial, reported WESH.

READ MORE

Florida teen, 15, who crashed a stolen car and killed mom-of-three, laughs during court proceedings

How did Hudson Lindow die? Another University of Idaho student's death 'THIS YEAR' sparks speculation

Bilotta and McClurg devised a plot to get Barnes to their house after accusing him of stealing a $300 PlayStation 4 game console a few days before, according to previous statements made by Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma. The Sheriff claims that after learning about the theft, Bilotta became so "aggravated" that he punched a hole in the wall and made the decision to murder Barnes, New York Post reports.

The sheriff said Bilotta stabbed Barnes 17 times with a seven-inch chef's knife when he arrived at the house at the request of his old housemates, purportedly to go to a party together. McClurg, who saw the fatal stabbing, reported hearing Barnes exclaim, "You're killing me," during the incident. The plan, according to the prosecution, was for Billota and McClurg to put Barnes' body in trash bags and bury it somewhere. However, the plan quickly fell apart when a different roommate came home from a date and saw Billota and McClurg in the bloody house, reported New York Post. Deputies apprehended McClurg inside a restroom. Bilotta ran away, but a police helicopter swiftly located him in a parking lot a mile from the crime scene.

After Barnes reportedly reached for the knife that Bilotta claimed he had been using to slice up marijuana during his trial, Bilotta took the witness stand and claimed that the killing was committed in self-defense, according to WFTV. Bilotta argued that Barnes overreacted when he saw the knife in his hand and escalated the situation by attempting to attack him. He said, "It wasn't supposed to happen." Bilotta's account of the events, according to the prosecution, was contradicted by witness testimony and did not add up. Later, they stated in a tweet, "The motive was revenge for the theft of a PlayStation, not self-defense as Bilotta claimed." McClug was convicted for his role in the murder and is currently serving a 10-year jail term.