A Howard County Circuit Court judge on Friday convicted a 19-year-old man of murder in the shootings of two teenagers near a bus stop close to The Mall in Columbia.

Emmetson Zeah of Columbia was convicted of first-degree murder and multiple other charges in the Feb. 22, 2025, deaths of the teenagers, who were students in the Howard County Public Schools system.

The conviction by Judge Stephanie Picard Porter late Friday afternoon followed a final day of testimony and closing arguments.

The victims were 16-year-old Michael Robertson, then a sophomore at Wilde Lake High School, and Blake McCray, a 15-year-old at Oakland Mills High School.

Robertson was pronounced dead at the scene, while McCray died a few days later.

“One cannot murder children at the mall and evade the consequences of those actions,” Howard County State’s Attorney Rich Gibson said in court Friday.

The shooting took place shortly before 6 p.m. Feb. 22 at a bus stop close to the mall, in the 10300 block of Little Patuxent Parkway, and a Lidl grocery store.

Zeah was arrested and charged hours after the shooting on two counts of first-degree murder and nearly a dozen related counts. At the time of the arrest, Howard County Police said they had recovered a gun and clothing worn during the shooting at Zeah’s home.

Zeah’s attorney, Henry Roland Barnes, opted for a bench trial, meaning the case was decided by a judge rather than a jury. Barnes said he expects to ask for a new trial.

Members of Zeah’s family and those of the two victims were in the courtroom Friday.

Zeah takes the stand

After the final witnesses testified Friday, Zeah took the stand. He wore a blue suit over a white T-shirt. A blue surgical mask rested on his chin.

At the time of the shooting, Zeah was a student in the Howard school system’s Passages program, which provides support services for students transitioning back into “comprehensive school.”

Zeah faced criminal charges in late 2024 and was granted private home detention, which began Jan. 8, 2025. When he was arrested in February, he was wearing an ankle monitor as part of his house arrest.

Zeah had several accounts for why he was at the mall that evening in February. He previously told police his mother dropped him off so he could buy clothes. In court Friday, he said he was at the mall to meet up with his friend Rob and for a job interview at DTLR, a footwear store.

However, according to video footage shown during the trial, Zeah never went inside the mall. Instead, the footage shows that Zeah, wearing a burgundy sweatshirt and carrying a black Adidas backpack, walked near the bus stop and approached a group of young men.

Then Zeah pulled out a gun and appeared to fire four gunshots at the group, according to the footage. Barnes said Zeah fired only two shots.

Zeah said on Friday that he heard a gunshot and, fearing for his life, took out his own weapon and fired.

Judge Porter said Friday there were no other weapons at the scene.

“I do not believe for a minute he was looking for a job. I do not believe for a minute that he was looking for Rob,” Porter said.

Although Zeah admitted on Friday that he lied to police after he was arrested, he said: “I told him the truth that I never killed anybody but that I was protecting myself.”

“I would never intend to kill nobody,” Zeah said, adding that he takes “full responsibility” for going to the mall and having a gun while on house arrest.

Howard County Assistant State’s Attorney Dillon Yeung said in closing arguments that Zeah lied at least 13 times during his police interview.

When evaluating Zeah’s testimony, the judge said, “Quite frankly, there was little testimony to be believed.”

Zeah’s sentencing is scheduled for May 22.