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| Ace NH Whose name is Billy Adams III |
Adams, 28, was convicted in September 2026 of first-degree murder in the January 30, 2023, shooting death of 22-year-old Alana Sims and of killing an unborn child by injury to the mother.
Sims was approximately five months pregnant. A jury recommended life without parole for her murder but voted 8-4 in favor of the death penalty for the separate count involving the unborn child, whom family members planned to name Leilani. Under Florida law, the final decision rests with Circuit Judge Mark R. Wolfe. Adam’s sentencing hearing, a so-called Spencer hearing, is scheduled for December 1, 2026.
In the letter dated October 12, 2026, and later filed with the court, Adams made his position unambiguous. “I don’t want my lawyers to present any mitigation or arguments at this hearing, and I am asking this court to sentence me to what the jury voted for,” he wrote, according to multiple reports citing the filing, including FOX 13 Tampa Bay and Court TV.
He added that his attorneys had explained mitigation and the consequences of waiving it, that the decision was his own, and that “I don’t have an issue with the death penalty.” He asked the court to put the waiver on the record and instructed his lawyers to respect his wishes.
Such requests are uncommon. Capital defendants and their attorneys typically spend the penalty phase and subsequent proceedings highlighting mitigating factors—mental health history, childhood trauma, residual doubt, or evidence of remorse—in an effort to persuade a judge to impose life rather than death.
Defense attorney Anthony Rickman, who is not involved in the case, told FOX 13 that the choice can reflect a desire for finality: life without parole means decades behind walls with no release date, while a death sentence carries a definite endpoint, however distant the actual execution may be under Florida’s process. The State Attorney’s Office has confirmed the request is not typical but has declined further comment on the open case.
Judge Wolfe is not bound by the jury’s recommendation or by Adams’ letter. Florida’s capital sentencing framework requires the judge to weigh aggravating and mitigating circumstances. The Spencer hearing exists precisely to allow additional mitigation evidence after a death recommendation.
Even if the court accepts Adams’ waiver of further presentation, the judge must still consider the evidence already introduced during the penalty phase. The request does not guarantee execution; it simply narrows the defense’s remaining opportunities to argue for life.
The Crime and the Evidence
Sims was found shot in the back of the head at close range on an unfinished roadway in the Easton Park subdivision of New Tampa on the evening of January 30, 2023.
Her approximately 18-month-old son was asleep and unharmed in a car seat inside her Ford EcoSport SUV, parked nearby. A passerby initially mistook her body for someone intoxicated before realizing the severity and calling 911.
Prosecutors argued that Adams lured Sims to the remote location under the pretense of attending a party celebrating his recent acquittal in an unrelated case. Evidence included surveillance video tracking vehicles, cell-phone location data showing a maps search for the subdivision that evening, and a trail of messages.
The state’s theory of motive centered on Adams’ desire to end his involvement with Sims so he could pursue another relationship. Jurors heard testimony from Lakenya Brantley, described in court as Adams’ other girlfriend. Text messages exchanged the day before the killing included Adams writing variations of “tomorrow this shit done” and statements about building a life that would not include Sims.
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| Billy Adams III and Late Alana Sim’s |
Prosecutors portrayed Sim’s pregnancy—as Adams understood it—as an obstacle. DNA testing later established that Adams was not the biological father of the unborn child, a fact that did not alter the charges or the jury’s findings.
Florida Statute 782.09 treats the unlawful killing of an unborn child by injury to the mother as murder in the same degree that would have applied had the mother alone died. The statute defines an “unborn child” as a member of the species Homo sapiens at any stage of development carried in the womb.
This framework allowed separate first-degree murder convictions for Sims and for the fetus, creating two capital-eligible counts from a single shooting. The dual-victim structure is not unique to Florida—dozens of states recognize unborn victims in homicide law—but it produces the unusual sentencing split seen here: life for one count, a death recommendation for the other.
The Shadow of a Prior Acquittal
The timeline adds a layer of grim irony. Just three days earlier, on January 27, 2023, a different Hillsborough County jury had acquitted Adams of two counts of first-degree murder stemming from a November 2020 shooting at a makeshift recording studio in Lutz.
The victims were Trevon Albury and Daniel Thompson. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister had described that incident as a “violent execution” linked to a gang-related feud; Adams and one of the victims had self-identified with the Crips on social media.
At trial, Adams testified that he acted in self-defense after one of the men pulled a gun during a robbery attempt on the studio engineer. Jurors deliberated only a few hours before finding him not guilty.
Sims reportedly planned to attend a celebration of that acquittal. Instead, she was killed. Adams was arrested on February 8, 2023. The proximity of the two cases—acquittal followed almost immediately by a new homicide—fueled public attention and complicated any narrative of rehabilitation or second chances. Prosecutors in the Sims case presented the prior matter carefully, as it was not a conviction, but the chronological sequence remained part of the broader story.
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| 22 year old Alana Sims |
Broader Context and Unanswered Questions
Adam’s letter does not explain his reasons. Speculation from legal observers ranges from genuine acceptance of the jury’s judgment, to a strategic calculation that a death sentence might be preferable to decades of isolation, to psychological factors that have not been publicly detailed.
Courts are required to ensure that any waiver of rights is knowing, voluntary, and intelligent; Judge Wolfe will almost certainly inquire into Adams’ competence and understanding at the December hearing.
Florida has been among the most active death-penalty states in recent years, with multiple executions carried out under Governor Ron DeSantis. The process from sentence to execution can still take years or decades through appeals. Adams’ request, if granted in the form of a death sentence, would place him on that path while simultaneously closing off certain post-conviction arguments that typically rely on unpresented mitigation.
The case also highlights the legal recognition of two victims. Sims left behind a young son now growing up without his mother. The unborn child, referred to by the family as Leilani, is treated under Florida law as a separate homicide victim.
That dual status produced the split jury recommendation and now frames the unusual sentencing request. Prosecutors had argued that Adams sought to “eliminate a child he believed was his, a side piece girlfriend who he didn’t want around.” The jury agreed with the core of the state’s case.
As the December 1 hearing approaches, the central questions remain with the judge: whether to accept the waiver of additional mitigation, how to weigh the evidence already in the record, and whether the death penalty is the appropriate sentence for the unborn-child count while life stands for Sims’ murder. Adams has made clear what he wants. Florida law still requires the court to decide.
The letter has already ensured that the final chapter of this case will be scrutinized not only for its legal outcome but for what it reveals about a defendant’s agency, the finality of capital punishment, and the enduring weight of two lives ended on a quiet New Tampa street more than three years earlier.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers Global, News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Politics and Technology.
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