Man accused of fleeing deadly Hillsborough County crash granted bond, grieving mother speaks

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A St. Petersburg man accused of leaving the scene of a crash that killed a 17-year-old boy and injured another driver was granted a $75,000 bond by a judge in Hillsborough County court on Friday. The Florida High Patrol said 32-year-old Christopher Everson left the scene in an Uber with his 8-year-old son after the April 11 crash on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Seffner. The crash killed 17-year-old Elijah “Papo” Battiste, an Armwood High School senior who was weeks away from graduation. The incident brought emotional grief to Battiste's mother, Sabrina Richards. "I went from planning a graduation dinner and graduation party to planning funeral services for my son in a matter of hours,” Richards said. Richards said the day of the crash, she and her only child spent the afternoon together. “He plays two competitive sports, high school baseball and MLS Next soccer,” Richards explained. “And so he had an MLS Next soccer game that Saturday. It was over at around three. It was a perfect afternoon. We rode together. We talked, we laughed, and he’s a driver, and we opted to drive together that day, which was really sweet. And we got home maybe around five something.” She said Battiste later asked permission to go out with friends after the game. “He told me where he was going, who he was going with,” Richards said. “We confirmed what curfew time would be, and he got permission, and he left.” Richards said Battise would have made the 12:30 a.m. curfew, as he was only two minutes from home that evening. “He only had another right turn to make and a left turn away, and he would have been home,” she said. However, around 11 p.m., according to FHP, a 40-year-old driver crossed into the westbound lane Battiste was traveling in and crashed into his vehicle. Troopers said both vehicles spun after impact before Everson struck Battiste’s car. Meanwhile, Richards said she realized something was wrong after her son stopped responding to messages, and she could see he was stationary from the location tracker app he had for him. “I texted him to ask him, ‘Where are you?’ and he didn’t respond,” Richards said. “And so I called, and that’s when Florida Highway Patrol picked up his phone. So that’s when I knew that my son was in an accident.” Richards said Battiste died shortly after midnight the next day. Troopers said Everson left the scene after the crash and later called an Uber to take him and his son home. Richards questioned why anyone would leave the scene of a deadly crash, especially with a child present. “What would make you think it’s okay to be involved in an accident with a child and then remove that child, your 8-year-old, from the scene of the accident?” Richards said. “What are you teaching them?” She also wondered whether staying at the scene could have changed the outcome. “If [Everson] had called, would those seconds, would those minutes have made a difference in the outcome of my son’s life?” Richards said. "That makes me question who you are as an individual and as a human because it might not have been intentional for the accident to occur, but the choices that were made after that accident were definitely the full responsibility of the adult that was driving at the time.” During Friday’s hearing, the judge called Everson’s case first. Everson’s attorney asked the court to grant him bond, arguing he cooperated with investigators. “He immediately, after this offense, contacted our office within 24 hours,” the attorney said. “We worked to provide DNA and cooperate with law enforcement. He turned himself in. This is not a case where he’s trying to avoid any sort of responsibility," Andrew Aber of Aber Law said. The judge granted Everson a $75,000 bond, and an additional $150 bond was added for allegedly driving an unregistered vehicle at the time of the crash. As part of his release conditions, Everson cannot drive, must wear a GPS monitor, comply with Department of Children and Families plans, have no contact with his children, surrender his passport and remain in Pinellas County. The 40-year-old driver accused of crossing the center line was cited for careless driving and crossing the center lane, according to troopers. Richards said the morning after the incident, Battiste was going to head to St. Louis University to visit the campus and attend an event. "His aspirations were to either play division one soccer or, college soccer or, to do the work now to be ready for a professional play in the field of soccer," she said. Battiste was scheduled to graduate from Armwood High School on May 27. Richards had these words for her son Friday. “You did great, son, that’s what I would tell you. You did great," Richards said in tears. "He exceeded all of the expectations I had for him at this age. I knew he was going to be a great man.”