Two Florida brothers will spend the rest of their lives in prison after being convicted of luring and brutally murdering a young man in an attempt to gain “street cred.”
Angel Lobato, 23, and Jo Lobato, 24, were sentenced to life without parole after juries found them guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and related charges in the 2020 killing of 21-year-old Danne Frazier. Jo Lobato was sentenced in November, while Angel’s sentence was handed down last week.
According to prosecutors, Jo Lobato targeted Frazier through an online conversation that began about a month before the killing. Posing under the false pretense of a romantic interest, Jo cultivated trust with the unsuspecting victim. In reality, the brothers had devised a sinister plan to rob and kill Frazier, whom they saw as an “easy target.” Prosecutors said the brothers believed the crime would establish their reputation on the streets.
On the night of November 4, 2020, Jo persuaded Frazier to meet him at Central Park in Winter Haven. Unbeknownst to Frazier, Angel lay hidden behind a tree armed with a baseball bat. The plan, police later revealed, was for Jo to lure Frazier close under the guise of a kiss, giving Angel the chance to ambush him.
When Frazier resisted, Jo began choking him while Angel attacked with the bat. The brothers then forced him into his own car. Angel later admitted to police that he cut Frazier’s neck several times with a knife Jo had been carrying.
The Lobato brothers drove Frazier’s body to an isolated wooded area off Helicopter Road in Lake Wales. They attempted to conceal the crime by covering the remains with branches. Frazier’s mother reported him missing the same day, and a week later, workers conducting an environmental study discovered his body.
Ten days after the murder, police arrested the Lobatos. During interrogation, both brothers gave chilling accounts of their actions that night. The brutality of the killing shocked even seasoned investigators.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd did not mince words after the arrests. “These two brothers are pure evil in the flesh. Danne Frazier was just a good kid, trying to comfort someone he met online. They murdered him just so they would have ‘street cred.’ I have no words for this kind of evil. My heart goes out to Danne’s family. They raised a good young man, and they don’t deserve this.”
The case underscores the dangers of online deception and highlights how violent crime can spring from calculated manipulation. Prosecutors emphasized that Frazier had no idea he was walking into a trap and was simply trying to build what he thought was a new friendship.
With both men sentenced to life in prison, authorities hope the case serves as a deterrent to others who might view senseless violence as a means to gain status. For Frazier’s family, however, the loss remains immeasurable — a life cut short by cruelty and deception.
