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Thread: Granville Ashanti Ritchie - Florida Death Row

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    Granville Ashanti Ritchie - Florida Death Row



    Felecia Williams, 9


    Granville Ritchie



    Suspect to be formally charged in Felecia Williams' murder

    By Jason Lanning and Erin Maloney
    baynews9.com

    TEMPLE TERRACE -- The Temple Terrace Police Department announced Friday that it was in the process of formally charging a suspect in the death of 9-year-old Felecia Williams.

    Related:

    Previous stories on the Felecia Williams case

    Police chief announces break in 9-year-old's murder case

    Felecia disappeared from a Temple Terrace apartment complex in May. Her naked body was later found near the Courtney Campbell Causeway.

    Investigators took Granville Ritchie into custody a short while later on unrelated charges. They had called him a suspect in Felecia's death but had not formally charged him until now.

    Ritchie will face charges of first-degree murder, sexual battery and child neglect.

    The details were released Friday during a press conference, where members of Felecia's family were in attendance. When police announced the charges, they clapped and cheered, but later, as police detailed the circumstances of the 9-year-old girl's death, they wept.

    Officials said Ritchie raped the 9-year-old girl, then strangled her. Post-mortem trauma indicate her body was put into a suitcase, police said.

    Case began when girl disappeared from apartment


    The case started with Williams' disappearance May 16 while being watched at the Temple Terrace apartment of a family friend. That friend, Eboni Wiley, told police the girl walked away from her apartment while she was in the shower.

    Police ended up charging Wiley with lying to authorities.

    A search warrant later revealed that Wiley's friend, Ritchie was inside the apartment and alone with the girl.

    Soon after Williams' body was found, detectives said they wanted to question Ritchie. He was arrested on unrelated drug and underage sex charges and has been in jail since.

    http://www.baynews9.com/content/news...elecia_wi.html
    "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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    Granville Ritchie: Public defender to withdraw

    Tampa, Florida (WTSP) -- There's been an unexpected development in the case of a Temple Terrace man now charged with killing 9-year-old Felecia Williams.

    Granville Ritchie's public defender has asked the court for a hearing on Tuesday to withdraw as Ritchie's counsel.

    The public defender did not say whether Ritchie, 35, has hired a private lawyer, or if Regional Conflict Counsel will represent him.

    Meanwhile the state attorney asked for a hearing on Thursday for pretrial detention for Ritchie. The judge granted both motions on Monday morning.

    Ritchie is charged with first degree murder, sexual battery and aggravated child abuse in Felecia Williams' death.

    Felecia's cousin Rashida Johnson previously told 10 News her family is staying strong but, "I just can't believe he did that to her," she said. "She didn't deserve that... it's hard for all of us to deal with it, you know, but we have to take it one day at a time."

    http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local...raws/14232279/
    "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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    Ritchie appears in court with new representation

    TAMPA (FOX 13) - The man accused of murdering a girl and tossing her body into the Tampa Bay appeared in court with a new attorney Tuesday.

    Granville Ritchie was back in front of a judge after the Hillsborough Public Defender's Office recused themselves from the case. They claimed there was a conflict of interest, but did not specify.

    Ritchie's new attorney will represent him over the course of 9-year-old Felecia Williams' murder trial.

    Prosecutors say Ritchie sexually assaulted and strangled her to death before dumping her body in a Pinellas County waterway.

    Ritchie will be back in court Thursday for a bond hearing.

    http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/2...representation
    "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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    Man accused in slaying of Tampa girl, 9, will remain in jail

    By Elizabeth Behrman
    The Tampa Bay Times

    TAMPA — Granville Ritchie, the man accused of raping and murdering 9-year-old Felecia Williams in May, will remain in jail without bail, a judge decided Thursday.

    Temple Terrace police named Ritchie as a suspect in the little girl’s murder shortly after her nude body was found May 17, but he was not immediately charged in her death. After a months-long investigation, Temple Terrace Police Chief Ken Albano announced during a press conference last week that Ritchie, 35, is formally charged with first-degree murder, sexual battery and aggravated child abuse.

    Felecia’s mother, Felecia Demerson, attended the morning hearing but declined to speak with reporters.

    Her lawyer, Ariel Garcia, said Felecia’s family is glad that Ritchie has been charged and that he will remain in jail for a long time.

    “She’s coping and she’s dealing,” Garcia said about Demerson. “She’s very strong and she’s got a great support system.”

    On May 16, Ritchie and Eboni Wiley, who described herself as a friend of Felecia’s family, picked the girl up from her East Tampa home and drove her to Ritchie’s apartment in Temple Terrace, police said.

    Originally, Ritchie and Wiley told police that they left Felecia in the living room watching a movie while they went into the bedroom to have sex, records show. When they came out a little while later, the girl was gone, they said.

    But Wiley, 23, later admitted that was a story the pair had concocted together to tell police. She told investigators she left the apartment for about an hour to buy marijuana, leaving Ritchie and Felecia alone together. When she came back to the apartment, Ritchie told her Felecia had “run off,” police said.

    Investigators later discovered that while Wiley was gone, Ritchie hit the little girl over the head, raped and strangled her, police said. Ritchie hid Felecia’s body in a suitcase until he was able to dump it in the water near the Clearwater side of the Courtney Campbell Causeway, police said.

    In addition to murder, Ritchie faces charges for having sex with a minor and additional, unrelated drug charges, records show.

    While they were investigating Felecia’s case, police discovered that Ritchie was having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, prosecutors said. They also found drugs in the Temple Terrace apartment and the car Ritchie was driving.

    He has been in jail since May 21, when he was arrested on those unrelated drug charges in St. Petersburg.

    Wiley was arrested May 17 and charged with providing false information to law enforcement. She posted $2,000 bail the next day. At a court appearance early last week, she pleaded not guilty.

    Police have not said whether she will face additional charges.

    http://tbo.com/news/crime/man-accuse...jail-20140821/
    "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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    Ritchie pleads not guilty in Felecia Williams' murder

    TAMPA -- The man accused of killing a 9-year-old Tampa girl earlier this year pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday during an arraignment.

    Granville Ritchie was charged in August with first-degree murder, capital sexual battery and aggravated child abuse in the death of Felecia Williams. He had already been jailed on unrelated charges.

    Felecia's nude body was found May 17 in the water north of Courtney Campbell Causeway. Temple Terrace police had been investigating the crime since then and Ritchie had been their prime suspect.

    Authorities say there is evidence tying Ritchie to the crime.

    Investigators say that on the afternoon of May 16, Ritchie and Eboni Wiley, a friend of Felecia's family, picked up the girl from her east Tampa home and drove her to the apartment on the 8900 block of Tanglewood Lane. Around 5 p.m., Wiley went out, leaving Felicia alone with Ritchie.

    Wiley later told investigators Ritchie claimed Felecia had "run off."

    Ritchie is scheduled to return to court in late September.

    http://www.baynews9.com/content/news...ads_not_g.html
    "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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    Defendant in girl's death had abused before

    Temple Terrace, Florida -- The man charged in the rape and killing of a 9-year-old girl last year had sexually abused two teenage girls, according to a report from the Department of Children and Families.

    The report notes that Granville Ritchie, 35, -- charged in the death of Felecia Williams -- had one prior report with the department in 2013 when he sexually abused the teenagers.

    The report was later closed when the children wouldn't admit to any abuse.

    LEARN MORE: Read the DCF report

    Williams was reported missing May 16 and her body was found in the water along the Courtney Campbell Causeway in May.

    Ritchie was later arrested and charged with her murder.

    He is also facing a charge for sex crimes with a 12-year-old who police at the time were interviewing as a potential witness in Felecia's murder.

    Ritchie's next court hearing is set for Feb. 26.

    http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local...fore/23332635/
    "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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    State seeks death penalty for Granville Ritchie in slaying of Tampa 9-year-old

    TAMPA — Prosecutors have announced that they will seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing a 9-year-old Tampa girl last year.

    The announcement was made Thursday morning during a routine court hearing in the case of Granville Ritchie, who is charged with first-degree murder, sexual battery, and aggravated child abuse in the death of Felecia Williams.

    Williams vanished in May while in the care of a family friend. The friend, Eboni Wiley, took the girl to a Temple Terrace apartment, where she met with Ritchie. Wiley later left the girl alone with Ritchie and returned later to find her gone, authorities have said. The next day, a couple fishing near the Courtney Campbell Causeway found the girl's body in the water.

    A three-month investigation ensued, culminating in a murder charge against Ritchie in August. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/...-tampa/2219235
    "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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    2 years later, still no trial date set for Felecia Williams murder suspect

    By Jennifer Titus
    WTSP News

    It's been two years to the day since a man was arrested and charged with the brutal murder of 9-year-old Felecia Williams and still no justice has been served.

    Granville Ritchie was arrested Aug. 15, 2014, but a trial date has still not been set. He is facing the death penalty.

    “Two years feels more like two days ago because it’s still so fresh to me,” says Felecia Demerson, Felecia's mom.

    Demerson still struggles when talking about her little girl.

    “I wake up every day thinking about her and lay down thinking about her,” she says. “Every day is a process."

    Williams' body washed up along the Courtney Campbell Causeway back in May 2014. Two months later on Aug. 15, Ritchie was arrested for her murder after police say he raped her, then shoved her body in a suitcase and threw it into the bay.

    “I will always think about her. That's my daughter. That was my junior,” Demerson says.

    When asked if she forgives the man who allegedly killed her daughter, she says no.

    “I still struggle with that and I know that in my heart I will have to forgive him,” she says.

    Demerson says she goes to every court appearance Granville makes and, although there still has been no trial date set, she has faith justice will be served.

    “I'm okay with the time because more time, more evidence. I do know that justice will be served,” she says.

    Ritchie’s next court appearance is set for Aug. 29.

    http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/2-yea...pect/298615754
    "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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    Edited:

    August 26, 2017

    Fewer face death penalty eight months into term of Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren


    Hillsborough County District Attorney Attorney Andrew Warren is reviewing all DP cases.

    Currently Granville Ritchie's case is under review.

    http://www.tbo.com/news/courts/crimi...-state/2335095
    "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

  10. #10
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    Police help murdered child's mother cope ahead of trial

    By Gloria Gomez
    Fox 13 News

    TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. (FOX 13) - Every day for the last five years, Felecia Demerson has awakened feeling something in her life is missing.

    "My sugarplum," she said. That's the nickname she gave her nine-year-old daughter, Felecia Williams.

    The little girl was raped and killed, prosecutors say, by Granville Ritchie.

    Now, five years later, Ritchie's murder trial is about to start and Felecia says she's ready.

    "My thing is to get justice for her and be her voice and be her face. This is not just going to go away and I'm going to be at every court date as long as I have breath in my body," said Demerson.

    During the trial, the graphic details of how the nine-year-old was killed are expected to be revealed. Sources say Ritchie strangled Felecia to death and beat her body, post mortem.

    It is a lot for Felecia's mother to stomach, but she says investigators with the Temple Terrace Police Department, which is the lead agency on the case, have helped her cope with the ugly details.

    In fact, she says the police chief often visits her daughter's gravesite.

    "I see the flowers he puts out there and the card that he leaves letting me know they care," said Demerson.

    Ritchie, if convicted, faces the death penalty. Felecia says it’s the punishment he deserves.

    "I want to see him pay the ultimate justice for crimes he did toward my nine-year-old," said Demerson.

    Ritchie’s trial is set for July.

    http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/police-help-murdered-child-s-mother-cope-ahead-of-trial
    "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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