ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A murder suspect is finally behind bars after three and a half years on the run thanks to a TikTok video of a Scripps News Tampa story and a good Samaritan.
Benjamin Williams, who is also known as "Bambi," is charged with first-degree murder for the 2021 killing of Joana Peca, 27, and two counts of child abuse.
"Instead of going and finding a white dress for my daughter's wedding… I was going to find a white casket to bury my daughter," said Eleni Peca, mother of Joana Peca.
Authorities said that on July 31, 2021, Williams convinced Peca, his girlfriend at the time, to meet him at a cemetery so he could see his infant son. Peca was sitting in her van holding the baby when Williams shot her multiple times in the face, killing her, authorities said.
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"I'm always going to miss her smile. I'm going to miss my daughter being around me, being around her kids and playing with her kids," said Joana Peca.
Eleni Peca's other son was in the backseat at the time of the shooting; neither child was harmed.
A $25,000 reward was offered for his arrest, and he was the featured fugitive on the show "In Pursuit with John Walsh" in 2022.
Now, three years later, Peca's family is getting justice.
"Three years and three months is too long. He was running, but he couldn't hide anymore. All eyes on him and now finally he is behind bars where he belongs," said Peca.
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Recently, someone saw a TikTok video that contained Scripps News Tampa's original reporting of the case and noticed the suspect who had been living in Mexico. That person contacted the St. Petersburg Police Department, which led to Williams' arrest.
Williams is being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bond.
This article was written by Ginny Reese for Scripps News Tampa.
