Prosecutors have announced that a 16-year-old boy accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend in a Florida nature reserve has been charged with first-degree murder.
Cameron Cubell will be charged as an adult after the death of Abriela Elliott, according to state Attorney Bill Gladson and the girl’s family.
Passersby reported that the body of a 16-year-old girl was found near the trailhead at Cypress Lake Reserve on the morning of March 27, McClatchy News previously reported.
Investigators believe Elliott left the house overnight and went to the nature reserve to meet his ex-boyfriend, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhis said at a press conference.
There, Cubell is accused of using a sharp object to kill Elliot and running away when she dies.
Elliott’s family said the teenage girl “has an extraordinary ability to make others feel loved and cherished.”
Gladson, the state attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit, said at a press conference by the WFLA that the two teens are exes but are in touch.
“We have evidence of what we think can be described as a dysfunctional relationship,” Gladson said.
Prosecutors say that since his arrest, Cubell has been detained without being detained in a juvenile facility.
“Abby watched films, wandered around with family and friends, loved being a total gooball, and had the incredible ability to pursue her interests with unwavering enthusiasm,” the family wrote in the obituary. “Her love for life was contagious and she urged the people around her to live their lives with the same enthusiasm and joy she did.”
Cypress Lake Reserve is a drive about 50 miles northeast of Tampa.
