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Thread: Death Penalty Pursued for Semmie Lee Williams Jr. in 2021 FL Slaying of 14-Year-Old Ryan Rogers

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    Death Penalty Pursued for Semmie Lee Williams Jr. in 2021 FL Slaying of 14-Year-Old Ryan Rogers


    Ryan Rogers





    Ryan Rogers murder suspect arrested


    Arrest made in Miami-Dade County

    By Peter Burke, Ryan Hughes and Michael Buczyner
    WPTV News

    PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A suspect in the death of Ryan Rogers has been arrested, police said Wednesday night.

    Palm Beach Gardens police confirmed to WPTV that an arrest has been made in Miami-Dade County and a news conference was scheduled for Thursday morning.

    Police said the suspect's name is being withheld at this time.

    The 14-year-old William T. Dwyer Community High School freshman was found dead Nov. 16 near the Central Boulevard sidewalk at the Interstate 95 overpass, less than 24 hours after his mother reported him missing, police said. A bicycle was found near the body.

    Cindi Rogers wrote on Facebook that her son went out for a bicycle ride early in the evening on Nov. 15 and didn't return home.

    Palm Beach Gardens police later said the teenager was the victim of a homicide and not a traffic-related collision.

    Ryan Rogers was an avid soccer enthusiast who had been part of the Palm Beach Gardens Youth Athletic Association since he was 4 years old.

    A caravan of SUVs was seen arriving at the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department. The suspect was believed to be inside one of the vehicles.

    Retired FBI Agent John MacVeigh spoke to WPTV, calling the arrest "good police work that they could have done this within two weeks, especially if it's a stranger," he said.

    "It could have been a case that seriously could have went for a long time without being solved," MacVeigh said.

    A motive for the killing was not immediately known.

    Still, it provided a sense of relief from parents and residents concerned that a killer walked among them.

    "Hopefully it'll put some peace of mind, not only to myself, but to other parents locally," Dylan Snyder, a father whose son was finishing baseball practice at the Gardens North County District Park, told WPTV shortly after the arrest was announced. "I mean, I know that we've had to, you know, really just watch and keep a close eye on our kids lately."

    https://www.wptv.com/news/region-n-p...spect-arrested
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Police chief: Homeless drifter from Miami with extensive record killed 14-year-old boy

    Body of Palm Beach Gardens teen found alongside an Interstate 95 overpass

    By Michelle Solomon
    Local 10 News

    PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – “He appears to be a homeless drifter spending most of his time on the streets of Miami” is how Clint Shannon, Chief of Police of Palm Beach Gardens’ Police Department, described 39-year-old Semmie Lee Williams Jr.

    Williams was arrested Wednesday and was taken into custody in Miami on a first-degree murder charge for the killing of Ryan Rogers, 14.

    Rogers, a freshman at William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens and an avid soccer player, was found dead on Nov. 16 alongside an Interstate 95 overpass just a few minutes away from his home. It was less than 24 hours since his mother had reported him missing.

    He had last been seen riding his bicycle away from his home the night before, and authorities confirmed that a bicycle was found on the ground near his body.

    “The incident itself appears to be a completely random act. We do not have a motive in this case and I would best describe it as an innocent child victim having a chance encounter with a very violent criminal,” Shannon said at a Thursday press conference outside of the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.

    Shannon did say that Rogers was stabbed, but would not release further details, saying that the investigation is ongoing.

    “It appears to be a chance encounter between a child and an animal that should not be out on our streets,” Shannon said.

    Williams has an extensive criminal record, according to Shannon.

    In 2016, Williams was arrested for aggravated assault with strangulation by the Fulton County Georgia police department.

    In 2016, Williams was a fugitive from justice and arrested on a warrant in San Diego, Calif.

    In 2014, he was arrested for battery on a person 65 years of age or older in Atlanta, Ga.

    In 2007, he was arrested for failure to appear in Seminole, Fla.

    In 2006, he was arrested for violation of an injunction on a battery case and failure to appear in Sanford, Fla.

    In 2005, he was arrested on a protective order for domestic violence in Seminole County, Fla.

    In 2005, he was arrested for probation violation in Seminole County, Fla.

    In 2004, he was arrested for petty theft in Sanford, Fla. and

    In 2004, he was arrested for carrying a concealed electric weapon in Sanford, Fla.

    Williams is being held without bond at Palm Beach County’s Main Detention Center.

    In a statement on a GoFundMe page set up the Rogers’ family, Ryan’s mother, Cindy, said:

    “. . . The loss of Ryan is unimaginable and I never thought I would ever not see him play soccer again, or spend vacation with him or see him walk through the door or send him off to school every morning. His smile, his laugh and his heart is what I remember the most.”

    https://www.local10.com/news/local/2...d-ryan-rogers/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  3. #3
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    ‘He's a Killing Machine': Man Says He Was Attacked by Suspect Charged in Teen's Murder

    Semmie Lee Williams Jr. — a transient from Miami — was charged in Ryan Roger's death in Palm Beach County

    By NBC Miami News

    A man who was attacked years ago by the same suspect charged with killing 14-year-old Ryan Rogers of Palm Beach County says the suspect should have never been back on the street.

    "This didn’t have to happen. And this system, I don’t know, there’s just no accountability," Dennis Brincks said.

    Police say the 14-year-old was stabbed to death three weeks ago in Palm Beach Gardens. Last week, 39-year- old Semmie Lee Williams Jr. — a transient from Miami — was charged with the teen’s brutal death.

    "Oh god, what this kid must have gone through. The hell, the hell this kid went through," Brincks said.

    In 2014, Brincks says Williams ambushed him on an Atlanta sidewalk, tried to strangle him, and then tossed him in a ditch.

    "He’s a killing machine," Brincks said. "He gets this intense pleasure just brutalizing you."

    Luckily, someone walking by stepped in, causing the suspect to run off.

    Williams was arrested that same night, and Brincks was left with the scars.

    "I still suffer from the attack. I had to pay for all my medical bills, nobody cared about nothing," Brincks said.

    Williams spent three years in jail and in a mental institution. But Brincks believes that wasn't enough.

    In the latest case out of Palm Beach Gardens, police tracked the suspect down through erratic videos he posted to YouTube on the same day Rogers was killed.

    "I’m very sorry this has happened. It shouldn’t have happened. Shouldn’t be dead. He should be alive," Brincks said.

    https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/...urder/2636748/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Ryan Rogers murder: Documents suggest racial motive in teen’s Palm Beach Gardens stabbing

    Semmie Williams Jr. has 16-page Florida rap sheet in addition to assault and battery charges in Georgia

    By Michael Ruiz
    Fox News

    Semmie Williams, the 39-year-old Florida man accused of brutally killing 14-year-old Ryan Rogers in Palm Beach Gardens, allegedly used racially charged language during the intake process at a Palm Beach County jail.

    Jailhouse records obtained by Fox News Digital show that on Dec. 2, Williams allegedly fought with officers, called one a "White devil," and suggested a motive behind the teen’s stabbing death.

    "While fingerprinting his left hand, I asked him if he understood the charges," Officer Michael McCabe wrote in an incident report. "He stated, ‘Yea, murder, because of what they did to Black people about giving them syphilis.'"

    McCabe added that Williams’ voice then "became significantly louder" -- but what he said next was redacted.

    The suspect allegedly tried to break free from the officer’s grip but failed. McCabe slammed him to the ground and other jail guards helped hold him down until he complied with their orders. They placed him in handcuffs.

    "If y’all didn’t help him, I was going to whoop his a--," he said next, according to the incident reports. "White devil!"

    Police arrested Williams in Miami late last month after he allegedly approached Ryan and stabbed him to death near an I-95 overpass on Nov. 15. Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Clinton Shannon originally described it as "a random act" with no discernable motive.

    Ryan left his home on his bicycle at around 6:39 that evening, according to authorities. When he failed to return by 10:30 p.m., his parents reported him missing.

    Court documents allege that Williams killed him around 7:31 p.m. Investigators said they found Williams’ DNA on a pair of headphones left at the scene and Ryan’s DNA on a bloody bandana in the suspect’s possession at the time of his arrest.

    The teen had been stabbed "numerous times in the head and face," according to the criminal complaint.

    In an earlier interview with police, Williams denied any role in the crime.

    However, he allegedly confessed to jail guards during the incident. The redacted portion contains more details about the confession, sources tell Fox News Digital.

    Williams is being held without bail on a charge of first-degree murder.

    A YouTube channel attributed to Williams showed hundreds of short cellphone videos in which he complains that he is stalked, abused and harassed by members of the public and police – often accusing passersby of being secret police, racists and cult members.

    The videos often show nothing related to the claims he makes – instead capturing scenes of passing cars, grass and sidewalks.

    YouTube did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about the channel but has taken it down.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/ryan-roge...-racial-motive
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  5. #5
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    Death penalty sought for suspect in teen's killing

    By WPTV News Staff

    Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the man charged in the killing of a Palm Beach Gardens teenager.

    The state has filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Semmie Williams Jr., who appeared in court Friday on a new charge of corruption by threats against a public official.

    It stems from an alleged incident that occurred in December while deputies were booking him into the main Palm Beach County jail.

    Contact 5 was the first to report on the early morning altercation that left Williams with a gash on his forehead.

    It happened just hours after Williams was arrested in Miami on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the Nov. 15 stabbing death of Ryan Rogers near the Alton neighborhood in Palm Beach Gardens.

    According to a probable cause affidavit by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, a corrections deputy asked Williams if he was aware of his charges.

    "Yes, murder, and that's what they get for giving Black people syphilis," Williams answered, according to the deputy.

    The deputy also claimed that Williams then raised his voice and said, "Yeah, I killed that mother (expletive) and I'll kill you too. Are you the mother (expletive) judge?"

    Williams, who later denied making the comments, is accused of tensing up and walking away from the deputy, who then took Williams face-down to the floor during a tussle.

    "I was going to beat your ass if they didn't help," Williams told the deputy, the affidavit said.

    In court Friday, Williams asked the judge a question but was stopped by his attorney.

    "Um, yeah, do they have that on camera?" Williams asked.

    A judge earlier this month denied the public defender's request for a gag order in Williams' murder case.

    He's being held in jail without bond on the murder charge.

    https://www.wflx.com/2022/01/28/deat...teens-killing/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Mental health court to evaluate if Semmie Williams Jr. fit to stand trial

    Homeless drifter accused of killing Palm Beach Gardens teen Ryan Rogers

    - By Michael Buczyner | February 28, 2022 -

    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The defense team was dealt a defeat Monday in the case of Semmie Williams Jr., the homeless drifter accused of stabbing a Palm Beach Gardens teenager to death.

    Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Kirk Volker ruled to temporarily transfer the case to the mental health court, where Williams, 39, can be evaluated by two experts. It will be up to those experts to determine if Williams will be competent enough to stand trial.

    State Attorney Dave Aronberg's office is seeking the death penalty for Williams, who stands accused of killing Ryan Rogers while the teen was on a bicycle ride along Central Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens on Nov. 1.

    Police said they found a bloodstained-bandana in the suspect's possession. DNA on headphones found at the scene of the crime matched Williams, police said previously.

    Aronberg's office recently chose not to prosecute Williams stemming from his scuffle with a sheriff's deputy while he was being booked on the murder charge.

    The deputy also claimed that Williams then raised his voice and said, "Yeah, I killed that mother (expletive) and I'll kill you too. Are you the mother (expletive) judge?"

    Monday's decision to send Williams' case to the mental health court comes after his public defender filed a motion to keep the proceedings to determine Williams' competency in the same court, which will preside over the capital trial, as first reported by Contact 5.

    The motion claimed Williams "appears unable to testify relevantly" or "meaningfully participate" in "defending a case in which the state is seeking the death penalty."

    The court filing also mentioned Williams' history of mental illness and its role in a previous criminal case, saying he suffered from schizophrenia.

    Williams is being housed in the mental health unit of the Palm Beach County jail.

    https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news...to-stand-trial
    https://archive.ph/gSbAn

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    Homeless drifter competent to stand trial in teen's death, doctors say

    Ryan Rogers found dead Nov. 16 along Central Boulevard

    By Scott Sutton

    WPTV News

    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Palm Beach County judge announced Wednesday afternoon that two doctors have found that a homeless drifter is competent to stand trial in the killing of a Palm Beach Gardens teenager last year.

    A quick hearing for Semmie Williams Jr. was held in Palm Beach County courtroom just after 1 p.m.

    Williams, 39, faces a charge of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Ryan Rogers, a 14-year-old William T. Dwyer Community High School freshman.

    The teen was an avid soccer enthusiast who was found dead Nov. 16 near the Central Boulevard sidewalk at the Interstate 95 overpass, less than 24 hours after his mother reported him missing, police said.

    Another hearing in the case is set for April 20.

    Judge Charles E. Burton will still have to make a final ruling on Williams' competency.

    Prosecutors said in January they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted.

    https://www.wptv.com/news/palm-beach...h-gardens-teen
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  8. #8
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    Competency hearing for Semmie Williams

    By Gary Detman
    CBS12 News

    PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (CBS12) — Mental Health Court Judge Charles Burton held a hearing today to determine whether Semmie Williams, Jr. is competent to stand trial.

    Three psychologists have examined him and they testified at today's hearing which lasted about 4 hours.

    Two of the psychologists feel he is competent to stand trial.

    The other psychologist, who examined Williams for about 7 hours during 8 visits to the jail, has concluded that he is incompetent.

    Semmie Williams is accused of killing Ryan Rogers in November. The 14-year-old boy went out for a bike ride and never came home. Police found his body near an overpass near I-95. Police said Williams stabbed the boy multiple times in the head and face.

    Police arrested Williams in Miami, a few weeks later.

    The judge did not make a ruling today. He gave the defense until next Wednesday to submit a written argument and the state was given until Friday to respond in writing to the defense written argument and the judge will rule at some point after that.

    Williams did not speak during the hearing today, and no members of the victim's family were in the courtroom.

    Prosecutors are going after the death penalty in the case.

    https://cbs12.com/news/local/semmie-...-beach-gardens
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  9. #9
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    Semmie Williams competent to stand trial in killing of Palm Beach Gardens teenager Ryan Rogers, judge says

    Williams faces 1st-degree murder charge in stabbing death of boy

    By Scott Sutton
    WPTV News

    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Palm Beach County judge ruled that a homeless drifter accused of killing a Palm Beach Gardens teenager last year is competent to stand trial.

    Judge Charles E. Burton issued an eight-page ruling Tuesday that Semmie Williams Jr. can be tried in the death of Ryan Rogers, a 14-year-old William T. Dwyer Community High School freshman.

    "It is evident to the Court that the Defendant has a strategic disagreement with his attorneys about how to present the case to the jury," Burton said in the ruling. "That, in and of itself, does not make him incompetent to proceed."

    The judge did acknowledge that Williams suffers from a "long-standing mental illness."

    "However, the Defendant is medication compliant and his symptoms have improved dramatically since the day of his arrest according to the doctors," the judge said.

    Williams, 39, faces a charge of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of the teen.

    The ruling comes after a four-hour hearing on May 27 where the court heard from three doctors who had interviewed Williams over the last few months.

    Burton had previously announced in April that two doctors had found that Williams was competent to stand trial in Rogers' death.

    Rogers was found dead Nov. 16 near the Central Boulevard sidewalk at the Interstate 95 overpass, less than 24 hours after his mother reported him missing, police said.

    Williams was later arrested in Miami-Dade County on Dec. 1.

    Prosecutors said in January they will seek the death penalty if Williams is convicted.

    A status hearing in the case is scheduled for June 21 in West Palm Beach.

    https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news...ers-judge-says

  10. #10
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    Attorney for Semmie Williams Jr. asks judge to block state from pursuing death penalty

    Assistant public defender says suspect in killing of Ryan Rogers

    By Peter Burke
    WPTV News

    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — An attorney for the suspect accused of killing a 14-year-old Palm Beach Gardens boy while he was riding his bicycle in 2021 is asking a Palm Beach County circuit judge to block the state's attempt to seek the death penalty.

    Assistant Public Defender Scott T. Pribble filed the motion Wednesday for Semmie Williams Jr.

    Williams, 41, is charged with first-degree murder in the November 2021 death of Ryan Rogers.

    The William T. Dwyer Community High School freshman's Body was found Nov. 16, 2021, near the Central Boulevard sidewalk at the Interstate 95 overpass, less than 24 hours after his mother had reported him missing.

    Williams was arrested on Dec. 1, 2021, in Miami. Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Clint Shannon said Williams was a "homeless drifter" who stabbed Rogers to death" in what appeared to be "a completely random act."

    Police used DNA evidence to link Williams to the crime.

    Assistant State Attorney Jo Wilensky filed a notice of the state's intent to seek the death penalty in January 2022.

    But Pribble claims Williams is "intellectually disabled," thereby precluding the state from pursuing the death penalty under the law.

    In his motion, Pribble claims Williams was evaluated by Dr. Joette James, a Washington-based psychiatrist, last December. He said James concluded that Williams meets the medical criteria for intellectual disability.

    "Mr. Williams has significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning," Pribble wrote.

    He went on to say that Williams has an IQ score of 56, which places him in the "extremely low/impaired" range of intellectual ability.

    According to Pribble's motion, Williams also has "concurrent deficits in adaptive behavior," scoring in the "low" range of adaptive functioning.

    Pribble claims Williams' "intellectual disability manifested many years prior to the age of 18 years, as indicated by delayed language and motor milestones, broader developmental delays, consistent weak academic performance in school and on standardized testing, grade retention, and special education placement. Mr. Williams never completed high school or obtained a GED."

    Therefore, Pribble wrote, the state "should be precluded from seeking an unconstitutional punishment."

    Judge Cymonie Rowe has yet to rule on the matter.

    https://www.wptv.com/news/region-n-p...-death-penalty
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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