Brothers lured man to park for sex, then killed him and hid body, Florida cops say

Two brothers plotted to kill and rob a man by having one of them develop a relationship with him, then plan to meet up for sex, Florida authorities said.

Now, 24-year-old Jo Lobato and 23-year-old Angel Lobato have both been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, the State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit announced Sept. 9.

In 2020, the Lobato brothers were homeless and out of jobs, so they decided to rob and kill a man, which they thought would help them get money and earn their street “stripes,” according to an arrest affidavit filed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Their target was 21-year-old Danne Frazier, and deputies said Jo Lobato began speaking with Frazier on social media about a month before the incident, indicating he was interested in a relationship with him.

The brothers went through different scenarios on how they could kill Frazier, deputies said. Then on Nov. 4, 2020, they made plans for Frazier to pick up Jo Lobato after Frazier finished his late-night shift at Publix, then drive to a park in Winter Haven, investigators said.

When Frazier and Jo Lobato arrived, Angel Lobato was waiting behind a tree with a metal bat, according to deputies.

Jo Lobato tried to distract Frazier so he could stab him while they were still in the vehicle, but Frazier fought back and tried to use a stun gun to protect himself, investigators said.

Angel Lobato smashed the driver’s side window and got into the vehicle, then he’s accused of hitting Frazier in the head repeatedly with the bat, according to deputies.

The brothers moved his body into the back of the vehicle and started driving to another location to dump him, and Angel Lobato slashed his neck, authorities said.

They drove to a wooded area in Lake Wales and carried the body into deep vegetation, covering him with sticks and grass to conceal him, according to deputies.

The brothers kept his vehicle and tried to make a series of purchases and cash withdrawals with Frazier’s debit card, but the transactions were declined because they didn’t know his PIN, investigators said.

Frazier’s mom reported him missing later that day when her son didn’t come home from work, and she spotted the suspicious activity on his debit card, according to the arrest affidavit.

The Lakeland Police Department began working the missing person case, and officers found that Frazier had paid Angel Lobato twice on CashApp the day he went missing, deputies said.

Two days later, police questioned Angel Lobato and asked him if he knew anything about Frazier or had seen his vehicle, according to the affidavit.

He denied having anything to do with the case and said he had never been in the victim’s vehicle, but later that day, deputies with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office pulled over Frazier’s vehicle and found Angel Lobato inside, deputies said.

The driver, later believed to be Jo Lobato, ran away, and Angel Lobato, who was a passenger, said he didn’t know who owned the vehicle, according to investigators.

Angel Lobato was released from the scene, deputies said.

Then on Nov. 10, 2020, workers conducting an environmental survey in Lake Wales stumbled across Frazier’s body, according to prosecutors.

Law enforcement found the brothers four days later and took them into custody, records show.

Jo and Angel Lobato were convicted of first-degree murder, robbery with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, burglary of an occupied conveyance, grand theft auto, tampering with evidence and fraudulent use of personal identification information, according to Polk County records.

A jury also found Angel Lobato guilty of accessory after the fact to a capital felony and giving false information to law enforcement during an investigation.

Angel Lobato was sentenced to life in prison Sept. 3, and Jo Lobato was sentenced to life in November, according to prosecutors.

Winter Haven is about a 50-mile drive east from Tampa.

This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Brothers lured man to park for sex, then killed him and hid body, Florida cops say."