Teen victim of Cady Way Trail slaying is laid to rest

OVIEDO — Winter Park High School junior Jeremy James Stewart was remembered Monday as a loving son, brother and friend with “an adventurous soul and a kind spirit” whose life was snatched away far too soon.

About 400 people watched a slide show featuring pictures of Stewart as a boy and a teenager and listened to the Rev. Wally Arp, senior pastor at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, offer words of comfort and hope.

“The Jeremy that we knew and that we loved ... is resting in the presence of the one and only true God that gave him life,” Arp said.

Stewart, 18, and his best friend, Nicholas “Nic” Presha, 16, were killed April 15 and their bodies set on fire next to the Cady Way Trail walking and bicycling path east of Winter Park. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has made no arrests in the case.

Awooden urn bearing a Celtic cross held Stewart’s remains during the service at St. Luke’s. A large white cross with roses draped across it and a black-and-white photo of Stewart also were displayed at the front of the sanctuary.

David Fitzgerald, youth minister at First Christian Church of Winter Park, spoke of Stewart’s endearing smile and his desire to be liked and accepted.

“It would have blown his mind that 200 people showed up at the candlelight service,” Fitzgerald said, referring to a vigil for Stewart andnic that was held Thursday at a canal where their bodies were found.

Several of the teens’ friends said they found the service comforting, but what they’d really like is for detectives to solve the case.

Eric Looper, 17, who recently transferred out of Winter Park High School, called the killings “tragic.”

“Just seeing that many people gathered together for them was touching,” said Eric, who attends a private school.

Tyler Winters, 17, who organized the candlelight vigil, said the shock of the teens’ violent deaths feels overwhelming to their friends. An arrest, he said, would be “a relief to everyone.”

An obituary distributed at the memorial recounts Stewart’s fondness for basketball, fishing, surfing, swimming and, as a boy, mountain biking with his father. It also highlights his close relationship with his sister, Alyssa, 14, and two younger cousins with whom he grew up.

“Keep that family in your prayers,” Arp said after the service. “They’re going to need a lot of community support and encouragement for a lot of months and years to come.”

The teens’ families have set up the Nicholas Presha/jeremy Stewart Memorial fund at United Legacy Bank. Donations are earmarked for a reward for information leading to an arrest. Detectives urge anyone with information to call Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.