Featured Image Credit: St. Petersburg PD
Topics: TikTok, Social Media, Crime
Emily Brown
Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence and child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
A suspect in a three-year-old murder case has been caught with the help of a TikTok video which featured his picture.
Benjamin Robert “Bambi” Williams was arrested by US Marshals in Mexico City earlier this month in connection with the death of Joana Peca in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 31, 2021.
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Joana had been holding her four-month-old baby boy in her arms in the driver's seat of her parked van when she was allegedly approached by her ex-boyfriend, Williams, at a cemetery.
Williams was the father of the four-month-old, police said. Joana's older son, who was four years old at the time, was sat in the backseat of the van.
The children's presence did not stop the shooter, and Joana was shot in the face and killed.
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Later, Joana's mom, Eleni Peca told interviewers that the four-year-old had described trying to 'clean blood' off his mom's face.
"She had a lot of blood coming out and I couldn’t help my mommy," the young boy had said.
Williams vanished after Joana was shot, and years went by with no sign of the suspect. However, that changed after a TikTok user in Mexico saw a video about the case on November 27.
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The video had been posted by true-crime TikToker, Jasmeen Alexander, 10 days after the shooting initially took place, and featured news coverage of the killing from the time as well as photo of Williams. It detailed the search for the suspect, and received hundreds of shares on the platform.
Despite being three years old, the user in Mexico found the video last month and recognized Williams, who had been living under a fake name.
They tipped off the US Embassy and Crime Stoppers to his whereabouts, saying he was living in Mexico City.
Following the tip, Williams was arrested and extradited to the US.
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TikToker Jasmeen spoke out after news of Williams' arrest, according to CNN, saying: “When it comes to social media, your video can hit at any point of time.
“My heart goes out to these kids, and my heart goes out to her (Peca’s) mother, because she’s been trying to get justice since 2021. I’m hoping this (arrest) can bring some kind of closure to the family.”
Police have alleged Williams persuaded Joana to meet him at the cemetery so he could see his son, and that upon arrival he walked up to the car and shot several times.
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Williams, now 41, has been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse and is being held without bond in the Pinellas County Jail.
Joana's mother, who now has custody of her two grandchildren, described feeling a 'combination of happiness and pain' after hearing of his arrest.
“Benjamin Williams decided to take the life of my only child in front of those kids,” Peca told reporters. “Benjamin Williams’ freedom is over.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.
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If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.