ORLANDO, Fla. – 17-year-old Elijah Emmans is being charged as an adult in a hit-and-run crash that killed another teenager near Wakulla Way and South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando last year.
Emmans appeared in court Friday afternoon. He was arrested last month while serving a warrant for first-degree murder.
The Florida Highway Patrol initially led the investigation but turned it over to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit after investigators found surveillance video they say shows Emmans intentionally hitting 17-year-old Cuba while he was riding an e-bike from a basketball game in November 2025.
Cuba’s grandmother, Ecstasy Mooty, said she is thankful Emmans is being held responsible.
“You don’t want people with that mindset getting out and influencing others,” Mooty said.
“Somebody has to stop the cycle of violence, and you have to stop that with the person who is being violent,” she said.
Emmans is charged with second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a crash involving a death. Mooty said she is pushing for the death penalty.
Emmans was transferred from a juvenile detention facility to the Orange County Jail on Thursday. He is being held without bond.
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