Walking from the library during Christmas vacation, James Felton-Maitland, 17, was fatally attacked by two teens bent on stealing his Sony PlayStation Portable, Miami-Dade police say.
Cause of death: Escaping his attackers’ blows, James ran into traffic and was hit by a truck.
Authorities said Monday they have arrested Jamila ”Jam” Brown, 19, and Keith Lebrone Goa, 17, on charges of second-degree felony murder and strong-arm robbery.
Under state law, someone who commits a violent felony that ends in a death can be charged with murder.
James’ death has left his family grasping for answers.
”I looked forward to driving him to graduation one day. Maybe having a family, and grandchildren. And all that was snatched away from me,” said his mother, Janet Maitland. “I would have bought those kids a PSP if they wanted it.”
James, of Miramar, exuded teenage energy: He skateboarded, fished, and took tae kwon do classes.
He was also an avid animal fan. His pet bearded dragon was named Garra. He called his green-yellow-and-red parrot Perky. James was devastated at the death of television personality Steve ”Crocodile Hunter” Irwin.
James wanted to attend Florida A&M University and one day study wildlife in Australia, his mother said.
”He looked forward to residing with some of the most ferocious animals in the world. He loved reptiles,” Janet Maitland said.
A junior at Arlington Windsor Academy of Miami, 16151 NW 57th Ave., James helped produce the morning announcements. His task was to choose the daily vocabulary word for the school’s 35 students.
”His death was very devastating to the school. We were all very close, like a family,” said principal Annette Bly, who hopes to name the science lab in his honor.
James was attacked Dec. 27.
He had gone to North Dade Regional Library, 2455 NW 183rd St., to ”look at animal books and go on the Internet,” his mother said.
POLICE ACCOUNT
As he walked out about 6 p.m., Brown and Goa were ”loitering on the library grounds and saw the victim and decided to rob him of his PSP,” Miami-Dade Detective Elvey Melagarejo wrote in his arrest report.
In the portable video game system: a Star Wars video game.
They knocked James to the ground and ”beat him while attempting to take custody of the PSP,” the arrest report said. Still clutching the PSP, James escaped his attackers. Brown and Goa gave chase, police said.
As James crossed Northwest 183rd Street, a truck slammed into him. He sustained ‘’severe head trauma,” police said.
He died Jan. 5 at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.
”He was my best friend and he was my shadow. I miss him and I don’t know how I’m going to go through life without him,” Janet Maitland said, sobbing.
Initially, the case was characterized as an accident by the Florida Highway Patrol.
But family members said they plastered fliers on windows of nearby businesses and found a witness who saw the boys attack James. A private investigator dug deeper and eventually gave the information to Miami-Dade’s homicide unit, which tracked down Brown and Goa.
Goa gave a ”detailed confession” while Brown ”made self-serving statements, basically denying his involvement in this incident,” the arrest report said.
`SAID HE DIDN’T DO IT’
Goa has been arrested seven other times on charges that include burglary and battery.
Brown was already wanted for violating probation — he failed to report to his probation officer — on a 2007 strong-arm robbery charge.
A former foster child, Brown had been living with his girlfriend and her family, said her father, Willie Singer Hill.
”I asked him. He said he didn’t do it,” Hill said.
