Killer in Temple Terrace shooting sentenced to 30 years in prison

TAMPA — In one of his last public Facebook posts, Johnny Gaston Alicea uploaded a photo of himself drinking a huge sangria at a Tampa club.It was Aug. 15, 2015. The libation, he wrote in Spanish, was to celebrate "a new stage in my life and my career." He wrote that he was going back to school to study criminal justice. He thanked God for "opening so many doors."Five days later, his optimism and gratitude had apparently dissolved in a fit of jealous rage. Authorities say Gaston Alicea fatally shot 20-year-old Jillian Rae Boone and then shot himself in front of onlookers in the parking lot of a Temple Terrace bowling alley. Gaston Alicea, now 47, survived and pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder with a firearm. Hillsborough Circuit Judge Christopher Sabella sentenced him to 30 years in state prison followed by 10 years of probation.Gaston Alicea's trial was set to begin next week. Prosecutors struck the agreement Tuesday after his public defender raised questions about his mental health and then agreed to the final deal, said Mark Cox, a spokesman for the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office. "In light of the circumstances dealing with potential mental health evidence that could have been put on, and the fact that the defendant had no prior criminal record, we felt like a 30-year prison sentence was the correct sentence in this situation," Cox said. "The defendant will be in his 70s before he's able to be released."A representative from the Hillsborough Public Defender's Office did not immediately return a message Wednesday.Prosecutors say the murder was the act of a man who didn't want a romantic relationship outside his marriage to end.The day of the killing, court records show, Gaston Alicea left his Tampa home for work at a maritime services company, but a short time later sent his wife text and voice messages implying he was going to commit suicide. In the messages, Gaston Alicea told his wife she was the love of his life and that his $100,000 life insurance policy was now hers. His wife called police.At about 1:40 p.m., Temple Terrace police responded to a shooting call at the Terrace Sports bowling alley and arcade on East Busch Boulevard. Witnesses said a man, later identified as Gaston Alicea, shot Boone twice in the head and then turned the gun on himself. Boone, a mother of a then-3-year-old girl, was dead when police arrived. Gaston Alicea had a gunshot wound to his mouth and lower face. Officers found a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun nearby. A red Dodge pickup truck Gaston Alicea was driving at the time was parked at a Publix across the street.After the shooting, Boone's mother, Donna Vasapolli, told police that Boone told her Gaston Alicea was her boss and was demanding that she return a bonus he had given her, court records show. Boone had previously visited Vasapolli with Gaston Alicea and told her mother not to bring up her boyfriend, because Gaston Alicea would get jealous.But Boone's boyfriend, Josh Rodriguez, told police that Boone had worked at local strip clubs and that some "individuals" provided her with money and helped her with bills. It was unclear Wednesday if that's where she met Gaston Alicea.In an interview Wednesday, Vasapolli said she figures her daughter met her eventual killer at a club. She said Boone had danced for a while, but also worked as an administrative assistant at a car dealership and a catering company."She was just trying to find her way in the world, but she was brought up with the best morals," Vasapolli said. "She was a good girl."She planned to marry Rodriguez, Vasapolli said. Days before the shooting, Boone came to Vasapolli's house in Palm Harbor to pick up her wedding gown."(Gaston Alicea) knew that Josh was going to whisk her away and marry her," Vasapolli said. "He was just obsessed and I think that day she finally said, I'm done." Vasapolli said the two argued at a Dunkin' Donuts and that Boone ran across Busch Boulevard to get away from Gaston Alecia, who pursued and shot her. "I think he thought, if I can't have you, no one will."Boone, who was raised in Palm Harbor and Trinity, attended Mitchell High School before getting a general equivalency diploma. She loved people and animals, volunteering at horse farms and the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary. She had her daughter, Ava, at age 16 and was thinking about becoming a criminal forensic technician. Vasapolli said she was surprised Tuesday when a victim advocate for the State Attorney's Office called to say the case might be resolved at a hearing later that day. She was ill and couldn't make it to court. "My family and I didn't get to look in the eyes of this monster and tell him what he's done to our lives," she said. "Everybody that's been left behind has been sentenced to a life of pain."Vasapolli said her daughter's killer should have been charged with first-degree murder and spend the rest of his life in a cell. As a Christian, she said, she might be able to forgive him at some point. But not now.Vasapolli shares custody of Ava, who is now 5, with the girl's father. For now, Ava only knows that her mother is "with Jesus, an angel in heaven," Vasapolli said."When somebody asks her where her mommy is, she says, 'She's in my heart.' " Contact Tony Marrero at tmarrero@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3374. Follow @tmarrerotimes.

Killer in Temple Terrace shooting sentenced to 30 years in prison

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