The latest court appearance brought no resolution in the case against former assistant principal Ernest Joseph Roberts, accused of killing Norland High School teacher Kameela Russell. Her mother, Linda Russell, told reporters she is trying to find a way to bring the case to a close, saying, “it’s been so many years,” according to The Miami Herald.
Roberts, 47, appeared before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alberto Milian, the Miami Herald reported. He was indicted on a first-degree murder charge in Russell’s killing. The next hearing is scheduled for October 30 at 11 a.m.; the Herald reports that attorneys for Roberts and prosecutors are working toward a resolution.
A Disappearance That Shattered a School Community
Russell, a popular teacher at Norland Senior High School in north Miami-Dade, disappeared on May 15, 2019, after she failed to pick up her daughter at a relative’s home. She had briefly pulled into her aunt’s Miami Gardens driveway to collect the girl for a 6:30 p.m. gymnastics class before her vehicle abruptly drove off, according to the Tribune. Her aunt lived on the same street as Roberts. Beyond teaching, Russell served as a test proctor at the school, the same outlet reports.
Roberts and Russell had been friends since childhood, and he was the godfather of her children, the Herald reports. He worked alongside her at Norland High before his transfer to Linda Lentin K-8 Center in North Miami in February 2019 — a move district officials said was unrelated to the police inquiry that would soon follow, per Bahamas Press. Roberts began his career with Miami-Dade County Public Schools in August 2004 and had been promoted to assistant principal in August 2017 before that transfer.
Surveillance, a Bleached Bedroom, and a Hidden Note
According to detectives, Russell was seen entering Roberts’ home on the day she disappeared and was not seen leaving it. Police said Roberts’ video surveillance system was shut off just before she arrived. Investigators later found Russell’s blood and DNA on an Amazon box inside Roberts’ bedroom, which had been thoroughly cleaned with bleach, the Herald reports.
The warrant also described footage of Roberts putting an object believed to be Russell’s body in the trunk of Russell’s black Audi and driving away. It said he sought a school janitor’s help disposing of the car. After Roberts asked how to remove blood stains and the janitor suggested bleach, detectives secretly recorded a phone call between them, according to the Herald.
Investigators also found a handwritten note and car keys hidden in a cabinet at Linda Lentin K-8 Center, where Roberts had worked. The note asked, “Do you know anyone that can chop up a car? If so or make it ‘disappear’ take these keys,” and identified a location behind the Speedway racetrack on U.S. 441 by the county line. Police found the black Audi there. The janitor called Miami Gardens police, and Roberts acknowledged the car and referred to the note, the Herald reports.
The account Roberts gave the janitor
According to the arrest warrant, Roberts told the janitor he had done something crazy. He claimed an intruder had broken into his home and that he struck the intruder with a baseball bat, then said he wrapped the body in a tarp and dragged it through the house, per the same account relayed by the Herald.
Russell’s body was recovered on May 25, 2019, from the Snake Creek canal near NW 207th Street and 15th Avenue in Miami Gardens; she had last been seen at her aunt’s home near NW 203rd Street and 15th Avenue, according to CBS News. The discovery followed an anonymous tip. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Department determined she died from a blunt head injury and classified her death as a homicide.
Arrest, Indictment, and Years of Delay
Roberts was arrested on June 14, 2019. That same day, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert, and Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt held a joint press conference to announce the arrest, according to footage cited by Websleuths; Mayor Gilbert noted he personally knew Russell from visits to Norland High. A Miami-Dade grand jury formally indicted Roberts on the first-degree murder charge, and he was scheduled to appear for arraignment, as reported by NBC 6 South Florida.
Following his arrest, Miami-Dade County Public Schools removed Roberts from duty and initiated formal employment termination proceedings, the Tribune reported at the time, with the district issuing a statement expressing shock while cooperating with police.
What Florida law says about next of kin in court
Florida’s 2023 victim-rights statute says a victim’s next of kin may not be excluded from a hearing, trial or other proceeding solely because they are subpoenaed to testify, unless the court finds their presence would be prejudicial, according to the Florida Senate. The statute does not establish Linda Russell’s specific legal status or what court notices she received.
Prosecutors waived the death penalty in 2021, the Herald reported. Linda Russell continues to seek an end to the proceedings. The next hearing is scheduled for October 30.
