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Emmetson Zeah Convicted of First-Degree Murder in Columbia Mall Double Killing

A bench trial judge ruled the bus stop shooting was premeditated, not self-defense.

Overview

  • Howard County Circuit Court Judge Stephanie Porter found Zeah guilty on 13 counts, including two first-degree murder counts, after a three-day bench trial.
  • The victims, Michael Robertson, 16, and Blake McCray, 15, were shot at a bus stop outside The Mall in Columbia on Feb. 22, 2025.
  • Investigators cited witness accounts, security video, and ankle-monitor GPS data to place Zeah at the scene, and police say he later confessed.
  • Zeah, 19, was acquitted on one obstruction charge but convicted of retaliation counts, with sentencing set for May 22, 2026.
  • The case spurred wider actions, including the state’s shutdown of the supervising ankle-monitor firm over missed violation alerts, a new downtown patrol unit by police, and civil lawsuits by the victims’ families.