Billy Bennett Adams III, 25, was arrested in Tampa, Florida, on February 8 on charges of killing his girlfriend who was five months pregnant at the time.
Adams, a semi-professional rapper known as Ace NH, faces charges of first-degree murder and the killing of an unborn child, Tampa Police Department said on the day of his arrest.
Adams allegedly gunned down his pregnant girlfriend, Alana Sims, 22, in front of her car while her 18-month-year-old slept inside it on January 30. Later that evening, Sims was discovered by a witness, thinking she was intoxicated lying on the ground. Another witness, who later alerted investigators, found Sims in a pool of blood with upper body trauma in the 10700 block of Pictorial Park Drive in New Tampa.
Court documents allege that Sims, who was five months pregnant, was one of two women Adams was dating, and she was getting in the way of his freedom—so he killed her. Law enforcement said that Adams lured Sims into the New Tampa neighborhood of Easton Park, telling her they were heading to a party to celebrate his acquittal of a double murder charge only 13 days earlier.
Adams was acquitted of a double murder in Hillsborough County that took place in 2020. Jurors found Adams not guilty in January after he went on trial on charges of killing two men in a Lutz recording studio after he had made music. He had told the jury that it was self-defense. That shooting was believed to be gang-related and the rapper self-identified as being part of the "Crips" gang, The U.S. Sun reported.
The second time he returned to the Tampa courthouse, the jury did not believe his plea of self-defense.
Court records show that Adams told investigators that he was out with friends the evening Sims was killed, and he gave them a video as "proof." But after searching Adams' vehicle and phone, investigators ascertained that the video was actually recorded on February 1. Adams made the self-defense plea in this case too.
In a statement following Adams' arrest, State Attorney Susan S. Lopez said: "What this defendant did is unimaginable. Our thoughts and support are with the family members of these crime victims.
"While we respect the verdict of the jury in the prior case, we disagreed with it and that is why we prosecuted him. We will continue to work with TPD to prosecute him for these latest crimes."
"Mere days after he was acquitted of a separate crime, our homicide suspect did the unthinkable when he killed an innocent woman and her unborn child," said Interim Chief Lee Bercaw. "I hope this arrest brings some closure to the victim's family who is mourning the loss of two loved ones. We are working with the State Attorney's Office to ensure the suspect is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Newsweek has contacted the Tampa Police Department for comment.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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