Investigators detail Satellite Beach teen revenge plot

Update, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22:

SATELLITE BEACH – The attorney for one of three beachside teens charged with attempted murderdenies that his client was involved in plotting to kill a 17-year-old Satellite Beach boy over what investigators say was revenge for stealing marijuana.

The comments come two days after the Brevard County Sheriff's Office sorted through interviews and eyewitness accounts to charge Dylan Thomas, 17, of Indian Harbour Beach, Jessica Umberger, 18, of Satellite Beach and Rebecca Gotay, 18, of Indialantic with attempted first-degree premeditated murder.

None of the teens were living with their parents at the time of their arrests, according to investigators.

Umberger and Gotay were remanded into custody without bond at the Brevard County Jail Complex in Sharpes while Thomas was held at the Juvenile Detention Center.

"He's there, he's not doing well," said Geoffrey Golub, Thomas' criminal defense attorney.

"We adamantly deny that this was in any way a premeditated murder situation and in no shape or form do I believe that's what happened," Golub told FLORIDA TODAY on Sunday.

His client, held in secured detention at the facility, could face a juvenile trial on the charges next month if the state attorney's office decides not to charge him as an adult.

Dylan Thomas' mother, Christine Thomas, would not talk about the charges faced by her son.

"My son's a great kid and always was very considerate and good natured," Thomas said before referring questions to her son's attorney.

The three arrests came within 24 hours after Satellite Beach police were called to a home at the intersection of Glenwood Avenue and Kale Street on Thursday. A woman reported finding her son, 17-year-old Daniel Vukovich, bleeding and crawling into the garage with severe head and facial injuries at around 7 a.m., court records show.

Vukovich was on his way to an adult education class when he was attacked, police say. His mother was inside the home when she heard loud banging and went to investigate. What she found was her son, bleeding with wounds – initially thought to be the result of a gunshot to the face – that were later determined to be caused by a crowbar.

The teen, with fractures to both sides of his head, remains in critical condition at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne. He was airlifted to the hospital within 30 minutes of being beaten, according to court records.

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Police caught a break in the case after learning that a surveillance camera at a neighbor's house captured a four-door sedan driving past the home. That vehicle was later determined to be a Cadillac belonging to Gotay.

At its heart, authorities say the case – laid out in an eight-page arrest warrant – involves a group of beachside teens heavily involved in marijuana culture and bent on revenge. The three suspects believed Vukovich stole marijuana and other drug paraphernalia.

Witnesses also told investigators that Umberger and Thomas, who court records say worked as a car washer at an Eau Gallie business, both talked openly with friends about killing Vukovich for at least a month.

Thomas and Umberger even invited another teen to go with them, court records show. That teen declined the invitation.

The night before the attack, Umberger sent out a text saying "Daniel dies tomorrow," according to court records. Investigators also uncovered another text they attribute to Umberger that reads "It's sad Daniel has to die tomorrow," and "Moral of the story, don't be a (expletive) boy."

"There's no doubt that all the people, certainly, all of them were involved in marijuana. A lot of kids are talking about it. My client believed someone broke into his house twice," Golub said.

He added that it was Umberger, and not his client, who was talking though social media about killing Vukovich.

"She's the one who was making threats about killing Mr. Vukovich," Golub said, referring to the social media references found in the arrest warrant filed on Friday.

Umberger, who in one Facebook post announced that she and Thomas were engaged, appeared before a judge at the jail and was assigned a public defender after declaring that she could not afford a private attorney, according to court records.

Gotay's criminal defense attorney, Kepler Funk, said his office was investigating all of the state's allegations before making any comments on the case.

"What I want to say is that she comes from a great family and has a tremendous support system," said Funk, who was scheduled to meet with his client Sunday afternoon. He did not discuss the case or allegations from investigators.

Investigators said Gotay admitted to driving Thomas to an area near Vukovich's home that morning, according to court records. She told authorities that she parked her car on Kale Street, or about a block away.

"Obviously, we're at the infancy of our investigation. We rarely rely on what the government says is so," Funk said. "When our investigation's finished, we'll come to conclusions based on it and not just what the government says."

An arraignment hearing for Umberger and Gotay is scheduled for March 26.

Thomas could face a juvenile court trial next month, depending on the state attorney's decision on whether to charge him as an adult.