Expand / Collapse search
☰

Family of a 2-year-old allegedly murdered by father speaks to FOX 35: 'Glad he's in jail'

By
Updated  December 31, 2024 12:44am EST
Osceola County
FOX 35 Orlando

Kissimmee man arrested in child's murder

A Kissimmee man is now in jail, accused of killing his own 2-year-old son. Some of Derrick Emery's family members said they had been awaiting his arrest for over four months, calling it their Christmas present.

The Brief

    • A Kissimmee man, Derrick Emery, has been arrested and charged with the murder of his 2-year-old son, Atlas, following a months-long investigation. 
    • Emery initially gave conflicting accounts of the boy's injuries, but an autopsy revealed bruises consistent with being struck by a fist. 
    • Family members, who had cared for Atlas and long suspected Emery of violence, expressed relief at his arrest, calling it a long-awaited justice.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - A Kissimmee man is now in jail, accused of killing his own 2-year-old son.  

Some of Derrick Emery's family members said they had been awaiting his arrest for over four months, calling it their Christmas present.

Danny Pagan said he had warned his wife that one day he believed Emery was going to kill his stepdaughter or his stepdaughter’s son, Atlas. Emery was just arrested, accused of murdering the boy.  

Atlas had lived for nearly a year with Pagan — the stepfather of Atlas’s mother — and Pagan's wife, Lizette Martinez — Atlas’s biological grandmother. The two took care of Atlas frequently, even after the child went to live with his mother and Emery.  

At first, Emery told investigators he believed his son’s injuries were from tossing him through the air, claiming the child was shaken too much. Then he told detectives he had dropped the little boy while they were playing, changing his story about where the boy landed.  

The doctor performing the toddler’s autopsy said he had injuries on his temple that appeared to be made by a fist, with each knuckle creating a different bruise.  

"He's a coward. I'm glad he's in jail. Hopefully, he rots there," Pagan said. "I couldn’t imagine that baby receiving blows like that."  

Police said that wasn't the first time Emery had acted violently.  

When Atlas died, Emery was on house arrest for an attempted murder conviction. According to his arrest report, his friend and another person were walking him home after he left a party drunk, and "for reasons unknown to him," he stabbed them. He then went to Publix, covered in blood and still holding the knife.  

The Kissimmee Police Department had to wait for autopsy results and reports from the medical examiner’s office before they could file homicide charges.  

After the arrest, the family thanked the detectives for being thorough.  

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:

Osceola CountyKissimmeeCrime and Public Safety