After someone in Mexico identified the suspected shooter from a TikTok video about the case, a 41-year-old Florida man who had been wanted for years for allegedly killing his ex-girlfriend by shooting her in the face as she was cradling their baby kid was taken into custody.
After more than three years, Benjamin Williams, popularly known as “Bambi,” was arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder in connection with the death of 27-year-old Joana Peca.
Authorities also said that Williams was charged with two felony charges of child abuse. When the incident occurred, the couple’s other child was seated in the rear seat.
A St. Petersburg Police Department news release claims that a real crime video shared on social media provided a breakthrough in the case.
“Last week, someone saw a post on TikTok and called the St. Petersburg Police Department with a tip that Williams was living in Mexico,” according to the release. “Detectives contacted the U.S. Marshals Service and Williams was taken into custody and transported to the United States. A St. Petersburg Detective and a Pinellas Deputy drove to Miami to pick him up and transport Williams to the Pinellas County Jail over the holiday weekend.”
Eleni Peca, Joana Peca’s mother, congratulated all of the law enforcement officials involved in Williams’ capture during a news briefing with police on Wednesday.
On Saturday, July 31, 2021, at around 5:30 p.m., Williams is charged with shooting Peca dead when she was sitting in her own car close to the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery. Peca was shot numerous times, including in the face, according to investigators.
Her youngest child, a baby, was in her arms when she died inside the car, according to the authorities, and her 4-year-old child could only watch in horror as Peca was shot dead in cold blood.
When police initially arrived on the scene, they reported that the youngsters were “terrified.”
Georgia Woman Sentenced After Egging House and Killing Boyfriend During Lover’s Quarrel
Anthony Holloway, the chief of police in St. Petersburg, told reporters shortly after the shooting that the alleged crime had left him unable to speak.
Williams is being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bond at the moment.
