ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — On a hot July evening in 2021, one man did the "unthinkable" — he shot his ex-girlfriend in the face several times while she was holding their baby in her arms.
The 27-year-old mother's 4-year-old child was "terrified" in the backseat, a witness to the deadly shooting. After pulling the trigger, then-38-year-old Benjamin "Bambi" Williams went on the run, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.
A $25,000 reward issued, and more than three and a half years following Joana Peca's death, Williams has finally been arrested and charged with her murder. The news came Tuesday at St. Pete police headquarters.
Chief Anthony Holloway said Williams' arrest came about after a good Samaritan saw a reposted TikTok video from 2021 about Peca's murder. After seeing the video last week, they reportedly recognized Williams and told St. Pete Police that he was living in Mexico.
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Detectives said they contacted the U.S. Marshals Service for assistance and Williams was taken into custody in Mexico and transported to the United States. Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a St. Pete detective and Pinellas County deputy then drove down to Miami to bring him to the Pinellas County Jail.
He is being held in jail without bond, charged with 1st-degree murder and two counts of child abuse.
According to Holloway, on the day of Peca's murder, Williams convinced her to meet him at the Woodlawn Memory Gardens on 1st Avenue S. so he could see his infant son.
As Peca was sitting in her van, holding their son in her arms, Willaims reportedly shot her multiple times in the face, killing her. Peca's 4-year-old child was in the backseat during the shooting. Neither child was physically hurt.
During the manhunt for Williams, multiple agencies came together to offer a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. In 2022, he was the "featured fugitive" on the show "In Pursuit with John Walsh."
"Thanks to the dedication of St. Petersburg Police detectives and the invaluable support of the U.S. Marshals and the ATF, a dangerous criminal was captured, bringing justice to the victim's family," Holloway said during the news conference. "While nothing can restore the life of a beloved daughter and mother to two young children, we hope this offers them some long-overdue peace and closure."