Rapper Billy Bennett Adams III aka Ace NH charged with killing pregnant GF Alana Sims 3 days after double-murder acquittal
TAMPA, FLORIDA: A rapper Billy Bennett Adams aka Ace NH has been charged by grand jurors for allegedly killing his pregnant girlfriend who was going to celebrate his acquittal in the unrelated double murder of two men in 2020. Adams, 25, is accused of first-degree murder as well as killing of an unborn child by injury to the 22-year-old mother Alana Sims.
Sims was found dead on January 30, 2022, next to her SUV, in which her 23-month-old baby was asleep. According to police in Tampa, Florida, the defendant fatally shot the 22-year-old because he seemingly did not want to be in her life and was not ready for a baby.
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What did the witnesses say?
A woman was discovered unresponsive at the Easton Park subdivision on January 30 at about 10.16 pm, according to court records. Police were summoned to the scene. Sims was lying on the ground five feet from a Ford Ecosport when a car drove by and sped past her. She'd been shot in the head and her 2-year-old son was the in car uninjured, reported Law&Crime.
'Saw pool of blood next to the body'
"As witness 1 approached the victim, the witness determined that the victim was not responding and saw a pool of blood next to the body," officers stated. Officers found that Sims was driving the Ecosport, which she had borrowed from Witness 2 who testified in court papers that the pregnant mother had intended to attend her boyfriend's party the night of the murder. According to the police press conference, the celebration was for Adams’ murder acquittal on January 27 in the deaths of Trevon Albury and Daniel Thompson.
Adams didn't believe he was the father of victim’s unborn child
Documents state that Adams was interviewed by police while he was home. He reportedly admitted knowing Sims but denied being aware of her death. "Further Adams stated he did not believe he was the father of the victim’s unborn child and stated he had not seen, spoken with, or texted the victim in several months," officials stated. "Lastly, Adams told detectives that he was at home the entire evening of 1/30/2023 and that he did not leave the house until the next day."
What did the video footage reveal?
But police claimed to discover specific video footage showing a Chevy Malibu, which belonged to Adams’ father, driving through "entrance/exit points" of the Easton Park subdivision, where Sims died. The Live Oak Preserve subdivision, where defendant Adams resided, had video evidence of the Chevy Malibu leaving Live Oak at 7.10 pm on Jan. 30. "Security for Live Oak Preserve indicated that vehicles registered to residents were equipped with an RFID tag to facilitate the entrance of the vehicle into the community," police stated. "Security provided information that an RFID associated with the residence of Adams, III entered the Life Oak Preserve subdivision on January 30, 2023, at 8.32 pm. This was also confirmed by surveillance video located at the entrance gate." According to the police, they approached Adams with this evidence and the rapper reportedly changed his claim of staying at home all night.
'Adams was chatting with a woman'
The Police claim that the suspect gave them a video that was purportedly recorded on January 30 and shows him out with his companions. Officers discovered, however, that the footage was actually taken on February 1 and was altered to reflect the date of January 30. After seizing Adams' phone and obtaining a search order, police claimed they found chats between him and a woman named Lakenya Brantley.
The iMessages allowed for the development of a possible motive, said police. Adams said that "tomorrow this shit done" in the messages from January 29, 2023. Other texts reveal that the rapper wanted to live his life and that "she" wouldn't be a part of it, and that Brantley was upset about the victim's pregnancy. His mobile phone was extracted, and on January 30, 2023, a search for the Easton Park area was done at around 6.43 pm, as per a report by Law & Crime.
'Adams eventually admitted knowing her'
Adams initially denied having communication with Sims on January 30 after being arrested. When police challenged him about the contradictions in his story, he allegedly eventually admitted he had met her. However, he reportedly claimed that Sims was killed in self-defense. Adams went on to say that he was aware of the victim's pregnancy and that he might be the father.
Records indicate that Adams is still being held without bond at the Falkenburg Road Jail in Hillsborough County, Florida.