Left to right: Benjamin “Bambi” Williams and Joana Peca (St. Petersburg Police Department).
A 41-year-old man from Florida who had been on the run for years for allegedly killing his estranged girlfriend by shooting her in the face while she was holding their infant child has been arrested after a person in Mexico recognized the accused shooter from a TikTok video about the case.
Benjamin Williams, also known as “Bambi,” was taken into custody after more than three years and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the slaying of 27-year-old Joana Peca. Williams was also charged with two counts of felony child abuse, authorities announced. The couple’s other child was sitting in the back seat at the time of the shooting.
According to a news release from the St. Petersburg Police Department, a break in the case came through a true crime video posted to social media.
“Last week, someone saw a post on TikTok and called the St. Petersburg Police Department with a tip that Williams was living in Mexico,” the release states. “Detectives contacted the U.S. Marshals Service and Williams was taken into custody and transported to the United States. A St. Petersburg Detective and a Pinellas Deputy drove to Miami to pick him up and transport Williams to the Pinellas County Jail over the holiday weekend.”
Joana Peca’s mother, Eleni Peca, spoke during a Wednesday news briefing with police where she thanked all of the law enforcement authorities involved in Williams’ capture.
“Starting today, Benjamin Williams’ freedom is over,” she said, adding, “He’s not going to see the daylight again. He’s behind bars where he belongs.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, Williams is accused of gunning down Peca while she sat in her own vehicle at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 31, 2021, near the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery. Investigators said that Peca was shot multiple times, including several times in the face
Authorities said she died inside the vehicle while her youngest child, an infant, was in her arms and her 4-year-old child could only watch in horror as Peca was gunned down in cold blood. Police said the children were “terrified” when officers first arrived on the scene.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, St. Petersburg Chief of Police Anthony Holloway told reporters that the alleged crime left him nearly speechless.
“Williams goes up to his girlfriend, who is holding his baby in her arms, and he shoots her several times,” Chief Holloway said at the time. “I can’t answer that question. I don’t know what it would take a person to do that.”
In an interview with Tampa-based ABC News-affiliate WFTS, Holloway said that investigators think Williams intentionally lured Peca to the cemetery.
“He called her and asked her to meet him at that location because she was bringing the children to him to see,” Holloway said. “Once they got to that location that’s when he decided to gun her down.”
Williams is currently being held without bond in Pinellas County Jail.
“Thanks to the dedication of St. Petersburg Police detectives and the invaluable support of the U.S. Marshals and the ATF, a dangerous criminal was captured, bringing justice to the victim’s family,” Holloway said in a statement Tuesday. “While nothing can restore the life of a beloved daughter and mother to two young children, we hope this offers them some long-overdue peace and closure.”
