Emilio Jose Curet, 21, of Orlando, Florida, was shot and killed on the evening of February 20, 2018, while visiting a friend’s apartment on Toledo Street. He and several friends had gathered there to support Mathew Jesus Prieto, who grew increasingly paranoid and began claiming people were outside to harm them. Prieto retrieved a small semi-automatic firearm and fired four shots through the apartment door, one of which struck Curet as he stood on the front porch. Curet was found unconscious on the porch and taken to Florida Hospital East, where he was pronounced dead.

Friends who were present said there had been no argument or physical altercation between Prieto and Curet before the shooting; they fled and later gave statements to police. Mathew Jesus Prieto was arrested and charged with first-degree murder; earlier, officers had charged him with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, and possession of cannabis. The investigation and forthcoming trial centered on Prieto’s mental state and accounts of paranoid, delusional behavior at the time of the shooting.

If anyone was at the Toledo Street apartment that night or has information about what happened before the shots were fired, please come forward.