JUPITER, Fla. — Two individuals have been taken into custody in relation to the demise of a 17-year-old student from Dwyer High School, who had allegedly stolen a vehicle prior to drowning in a canal in 2022.
According to the arrest report, in February 2022, 17-year-old Tiger Rollins, along with two others, evaded Jupiter police after stealing a Nissan vehicle from the Mallards Cove development. Hours later, Rollins’ body was discovered in a canal near Alternate A1A and Donald Ross Road.
Recently, 17-year-old Isabella Sitarik and 19-year-old Emonte Brown were arrested and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing or attempting to elude, and third-degree felony murder.
Patrick McKamey, a criminal defense attorney and former homicide prosecutor, explained, “And a lot of people would say wait a minute, his friends didn’t hold them down underwater. They didn’t, you know, cause him to drown in a way. And it’s really irrelevant. The fact that they did not intend his death. They all stand in the shoes of one another in the commission of that felony.”
According to the police, the three individuals crashed the stolen car into a median and then fled from the scene. Brown allegedly confessed to his mother that the trio escaped into a wooded area and subsequently entered a canal.
Although some may believe that the felony act of stealing the car had concluded, it is considered an ongoing crime when fleeing the scene.
“The reality is the prosecution is going to argue they were still fleeing the scene trying to avoid apprehension by the police. That’s why they jumped into the water. And at that point, whatever happens would still fall under the umbrella of third-degree felony murder,” stated McKamey.
The arrest report mentioned that Brown shouted to Tiger to “turn back” when faced with difficulties staying afloat. Brown informed his mother that they never saw Tiger again after entering the water. However, this distinction holds no significance under Florida law.
“The legislative intent behind these types of laws is to deter criminal conduct among groups of people that, hey, if you go out and do this and someone dies in the course of your conduct, you know you’re all committing a felony, you know you’re all in it, you’re going to be held responsible if something goes sideways,” McKamey explained.
Initially, Rollins’ death was ruled accidental in February after a dive team discovered his body in the canal the following morning.
The report stated, “Neither Brown nor Sitarik called anyone to tell them Tiger Rollins was in the water when they left him.”
On Wednesday, Brown and Sitarik appeared in court, where a judge set their bond at $68,000 and ordered them not to contact the Rollins family.
