FL - Ryan Rogers,14, Palm Beach Gardens, 16 Nov 2021*MEDIA,MAPS,TIMELINE*No Discussion


Andrew Lofholm@AndrewLofholm


Confirming a man was arrested in Miami in connection with the murder of Ryan Rogers. A press conference is scheduled for 10am tomorrow.
@CBS12

6:04 PM · Dec 1, 2021

Andrew Lofholm@AndrewLofholm

An arrest, frankly, was not expected this soon, spokesman said. I asked what the relation the man arrested has to Ryan. Spokesman paused and said “see you at 10am.” Stay tuned.

6:17 PM · Dec 1, 2021

Andrew Lofholm@AndrewLofholm

To say the community was getting anxious is a massive understatement. 16 days since Ryan was last seen alive, and no one knew anything. Our story today touched on that feeling:
The anonymous woman behind the red ribbons, memorial for Ryan Rogers

2:34 PM · Dec 1, 2021
 
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article256273387.html

A homeless man from Miami has been arrested on allegations he murdered Ryan Rogers, the 14-year-old boy found fatally stabbed in Palm Beach Gardens. Semmie Lee Williams, 39, was taken into custody from Miami on Wednesday. Police officials in Palm Beach Gardens are scheduled to detail his arrest at a 10 a.m. press conference. His first appearance in court also is scheduled for 10 a.m. in Palm Beach County, records show. Palm Beach court records show he was arrested by Palm Beach Gardens police on a charge of first-degree murder with a weapon.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article256273387.html#storylink=cpy
 
Palm Beach Gardens Police: Ryan Rogers Killed In Chance Encounter With 'Animal' That Shouldn't Have Been On Streets

12/2/21

[..]

According to Williams’ arrest report, a set of headphones found near Rogers did not belong to the teen. A DNA swab from them was put into a law enforcement database and a match came back to Williams.

He was taken into custody on Wednesday night in Miami. A blood-stained bandana was found in his backpack, according to police. An analysis of the blood revealed it came from both Rogers and Williams, according to the arrest report.

Shannon said that Palm Beach Gardens continues to be a very safe city with a very low crime rate.

“This just emphasizes the fact that an incident of this nature could absolutely happen anywhere. You know, people need to always be vigilant and aware of their surroundings wherever they are,” said Shannon.


Williams has an extensive criminal record with arrests in Georgia, California, and Florida. Charges include aggravated assault and battery.

Shannon said Willams has no ties to the city.

[..]
 
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article256273387.html#storylink=cpy

12/2/21

[..]

Miami-Dade police cold-case homicide detectives, working with counterparts from Palm Beach Gardens, tracked him down last Friday in Miami. He was questioned, and denied “any interaction with the victim,” the warrant said. Williams was not initially arrested as he was committed to a hospital under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows for the involuntary commitment of someone who is a danger to himself or others.

According to the warrant, Williams also had a green backpack — and inside was a bandanna that appeared to be stained with blood. Tests showed the stain included the DNA profiles of both Ryan and Williams.

Williams will remain jailed in Palm Beach pending trial.

State records show Williams has lived in Sanford, in Seminole County, just north of Orlando. His state criminal history includes several arrests, including for domestic battery and violating a restraining order in Seminole County in the mid-2000s.

His record also includes an arrests for several assault and battery cases in Georgia in the past decade, Shannon said.

The chief said it was unclear why Williams had traveled to Palm Beach Gardens. “It’s a mystery to us why this man was in our community,” he said.

The arrest was a relief for Palm Beach Gardens, a small upscale town north of Palm Beach.

The murder of Ryan, an avid soccer player, had left the community on edge and sparked an around-the-clock probe including multiple police agencies. Miami-Dade’s cold case squad — Jonathan Grossman, David Denmark and Sgt. Mike Scott — stood behind Shannon during Thursday’s press conference.

“They literally dropped what they were doing and rolled out the red carpet to assist us,” said Shannon, a former assistant police chief in North Miami.
 
Florida homeless man charged with murder of Ryan Rogers

12/2/21

The investigation

Rogers was found dead on Nov. 16 just south of the I-95 overpass on Central Boulevard with his bike nearby. He was found two dozen feet from the sidewalk in a wooded area out of plain sight. He had gone missing one day earlier after his mother said he had left his home on his bike and not returned, according to police.

Data from Rogers' phone revealed he was traveling south on the I-95 overpass and stopped at about 7:31 p.m. Williams was seen on surveillance video walking northbound on Central Boulevard at 7:20 p.m. The two would have crossed paths at about 7:31 p.m., according to investigators.

The autopsy results showed Rogers was stabbed multiple times in the head and face, police said. His cause of death was ruled a homicide.

Police said headphones were found at the crime scene that did not belong to Rogers. A DNA sample produced a positive match belonging to Williams.

When Williams was located in Miami, a bloodstained bandana was found in his backpack, investigators said. Further analysis showed the two contributors to the bloodstains were Rogers and Williams.

When he was interviewed by law enforcement, Williams denied any interaction with Rogers.

Officials said while he was located in Miami, there is evidence that he traveled to Palm Beach County on Nov. 15 and returned to Miami the following day.
 
Man accused of killing teen makes first appearance in court

12/2/21

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. —

Semmie Williams Jr. seemed to be confused in his first appearance through a video call in front of a Palm Beach County judge on Thursday.

The 39-year-old faces first-degree murder with a weapon in connection to the death of Ryan Rogers, a 14-year-old from Palm Beach Gardens. The felony charge is punishable by death in the state of Florida.

[..]

Behind a glass barrier, Williams listened to all of this as the judge also told him he couldn’t have any contact with Rogers' family and will be held without bond.

When the judge asked if he had questions, he mumbled some words, but then the judge said his lawyer filed an indication of his rights, meaning no one can talk to him without a lawyer present.

Williams will remain in Palm Beach County jail until his next court hearing on Jan. 3.
 

Andrew Lofholm@AndrewLofholm


NEW: DNA evidence linked Semmie Lee Williams to be Ryan Rogers' killer, according to arrest warrant. Headphones found at the scene had Williams' DNA on it. When investigators ran it, it matched a database that stores DNA from criminals. Williams has a long arrest history. 1/4

10:55 AM · Dec 2, 2021

When they found Williams in Miami, he had a green backpack. In it, a bloodied bandana. They ran the DNA from it, and it matched both Rogers and Williams. No other DNA was found. 2/4

10:55 AM · Dec 2, 2021

Rogers was traveling south on Central Blvd sidewalk, Williams north(there is video of Williams). Right after Rogers crossed over 95, he encountered Williams. At exactly 7:31pm, data from Rogers' phone indicates he stopped moving, likely when Williams attacked. 3/4

10:55 AM · Dec 2, 2021

Rogers was stabbed multiple times in the head and neck. Rogers' body was found in the woods, 24 feet from the sidewalk the next morning at 9am, Nov. 16th.
@CBS12
4/4

10:55 AM · Dec 2, 2021
 

[URL='https://twitter.com/katikokal']Kati Kokal@katikokal
[/URL]

Today, I'll be at the police press conference at 10am. We expect them to release details on the person and answer qs from the media for the first time. Gerard will be at the courthouse for the suspect's first appearance. Follow this thread and the
@pbpost
for live updates

6:03 AM · Dec 2, 2021

Kati Kokal
@katikokal


Chief Shannon confirms the arrest of Semmie Lee Williams, 39, in Miami. Shannon calls him a “homeless drifter.” Shannon says the homicide was a “random act.” He calls this an “innocent child victim having a chance encounter with a very violent criminal.”



7:08 AM · Dec 2, 2021


Kati Kokal@katikokal

Shannon says Rogers’ cause of death was a stabbing. Police believe he was killed near where his body was found on Central Boulevard.

7:14 AM · Dec 2, 2021

Kati Kokal@katikokal

Police are not looking for additional suspects at this time. Williams had no ties to Palm Beach Gardens and investigators said it isn’t clear how he got here, as he spends most of his time on the streets of Miami, Shannon said.

7:20 AM · Dec 2, 2021·
 
Homeless man in Florida arrested after fatally stabbing teen without motive | Daily Mail Online

12/2/21

[..]

Court records show Rogers was stabbed numerous times in the head.

The records say Williams' DNA was found on a pair of headphones at the scene and that Rogers' blood was found on a bandana Williams had in his backpack when he was located.

Investigators say Williams also matches the description of a man videotaped by a security camera walking toward the area where the body was found about 10 minutes before the boy's cellphone stopped tracking him.

Williams denied ever encountering Rogers, records show. Williams made his first court appearance Thursday and was ordered held without bond. His attorney, who remains unidentified, advised him not to speak in front of court.

[..]

Shannon said Williams has no known ties to Palm Beach County and it is unknown why he would have been in the area, which is about 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of Miami. No one else is believed to be involved in the slaying.

'This appears to be a completely random act. We do not have a motive,' Shannon said. 'I would best describe it as an innocent child victim having a chance encounter with a very violent criminal.'

Williams pleaded guilty three years ago in Atlanta to aggravated assault-strangulation and battery on a person 65 or older for a random 2014 attack, court records show.

Court procedures were delayed for four years because Williams was found mentally incompetent to assist in his defense.

A man was walking down the street when Williams jumped out from behind a wall, ran up behind him, put him in a tight chokehold and beat him on the head, transcripts of Williams' 2018 court hearing show.

The victim testified that he could not breathe during the attack and was about to pass out when passersby intervened. Williams threw the victim into a ravine, leaving him with a permanent arm injury, and ran away. Williams was arrested after a short search of the area.

The victim said that he asked Williams during the attack if he wanted money.

'He said no. He knows my kind and he is going to finish me,' the victim told Judge Thomas A. Cox Jr. 'I'm lucky to be alive. The intent was to kill me.'

The Atlanta victim did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The Associated Press is not naming him to protect his privacy.
 

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