TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa rapper who recently was found not guilty of double homicide in a separate case is accused of killing a mother and her unborn child last month in New Tampa.
An investigation led detectives to identify 25-year-old Billy Adams III as the suspect in the murder of Alana Sims. The 22-year-old single mother, whose family told 10 Tampa Bay was five months pregnant, was found dead by police around 10 p.m. on Jan. 30.
Police received a call in reference to a woman lying on the street near the Easton Park subdivision with upper body trauma. Law enforcement said Sims' son was found unharmed and sleeping in an SUV next to her body.
According to police, Adams was recently acquitted of an earlier Hillsborough County double homicide. He now faces charges of first-degree murder and killing of an unborn child by injury to the mother.
Criminal Investigations Major Mike Stout said Sims thought she was going to attend a party to celebrate her boyfriend, Adams', recent acquittal. However, the party did not exist. Authorities said it's believed that Adams was also the father of her unborn child.
After identifying Adams as a potential suspect, Stout said Adams made misleading statements in interviews claiming he did not know Sims very well or know that he was the father of her child. He would later admit to investigators that he did know Sims and retracted the previous statements. Adams also told them he was the one who pulled the trigger, Stout said in a news conference.
At this time, police believe Adams shot and killed Sims because he no longer wanted to be in her life or have a child.
"He was not remorseful," Stout said when describing the interview with Adams.
Tampa Police Department Interim Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement: "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. 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."
Sims' sister, Carli Williams, said her son is just a year old. Sims was one of five girls in the family. To Williams, Sims was her closest sister.
"My closest sibling. That was my best friend. I told her everything. We did everything together," Williams told 10 Tampa Bay in an earlier interview.
Sims' son will be taken care of by the family. All of them said they are heartbroken without their "rock."
"What this defendant did is unimaginable. Our thoughts and support are with the family members of these crime victims," State Attorney Susan S. Lopez said in a statement. "Since the night of the murders, we have worked closely with TPD to arrest this killer. 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."