Two Florida teenagers charged with homicide are now at the center of a case described by investigators as one of the most brutal they have ever seen.
16-year-old Gabriel Coleman Williams and 14-year-old Kimahri Blevins stand accused of luring 14-year-old Danika Jade Troy into a wooded area before shooting her multiple times and setting her body on fire.
Highlights
- Two Florida teens face homicide charges after allegedly shooting a classmate and burning her body.
- Investigators say the crime was planned, stemming from online insults and social media rejection.
- Authorities hope to try the suspects as adults due to the brutal and premeditated nature of the attack.
The charges were announced Thursday after detectives uncovered evidence that the attack was planned in advance.
According to Sheriff Bob Johnson, the motive appears to stem from an online dispute involving insults, bullying, blocked accounts, and resentment that ultimately escalated into fatal violence.
A couple of teenagers have been charged with homicide after shooting and burning a 14-year-old girl
Image credits: Facebook/Ashley Troy
According to investigators, Gabriel Williams and Kimahri Blevins had been talking about fatally wounding Danika Troy before they ever led her into the woods. A witness told detectives the two teenagers mapped out the plan in advance.
The idea was to shoot her once.
Image credits: Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office
On November 30, the boys convinced Danika to meet them near Kimberly Road in Pace, Florida. They led her into a wooded area about 50 yards from the street.
The next morning, Danika’s mother noticed she and her electric scooter were missing. She called the police. At that point, she believed her daughter had run away.
Image credits: WEAR Channel 3 News
“Unbeknownst to the mother, Danika was m*rdered the previous night,” Sheriff Bob Johnson later said.
Two days passed before deputies found her body. She had been fired at multiple times and her remains were burned. Investigators discovered 9mm shell casings near a scorched patch of forest floor. Danika’s red and black scooter was nearby.
“It’s bad enough that you k*ll a 14-year-old,” the Sheriff told reporters. “You’re 14, you’re 16, you shoot her multiple times… Then they set her on fire.”
One of the teenagers confessed that the incident was motivated by Danika allegedly bullying him
Image credits: Facebook/Ashley Troy
Detectives believe the violence stemmed from a falling-out rooted in rejection and bullying.
At some point, Danika blocked Kimahri Blevins on social media. She also made comments that reportedly humiliated Gabriel Williams, calling him “worthless” and a “g*ng-banger.”
Image credits: WEAR Channel 3 News
When detectives questioned Williams, he broke down crying. He admitted the insults had cut deep. Blevins, on the other hand, said nothing. He asked for a lawyer and was taken into custody.
Image credits: WEAR Channel 3 News
The night of the incident, Blevins tried slipping back into his house around 11 pm. He told his mother he’d just stepped out to smoke. She didn’t believe him. He didn’t smell like cigarettes, and the timeline didn’t add up.
Image credits: Facebook/Ashley Troy
Sheriff Bob Johnson confirmed both boys were already on law enforcement’s radar before Danika’s passing. The boys had prior “run-ins,” but officials refused to go into detail beyond that.
“There wasn’t a clear motive,” Johnson told reporters. “Their stories don’t line up with the evidence. But this is what Major Crimes calls a groundball. The evidence pointed to them immediately.”
Because of the severity of the crime, prosecutors are seeking to have the teenagers tried as adults
Image credits: Facebook/Ashley Troy
Gabriel Williams and Kimahri Blevins have been formally charged with first-degree premeditated homicide. Though both are minors, prosecutors are already working to have them tried as adults.
“Hopefully, they go to adult prison, which is where they need to go,” said Sheriff Bob Johnson. “You do an adult crime, you got to do the adult time.”
Image credits: Facebook/Ashley Troy
Image credits: WKRG
The investigation remains active. Detectives are still determining how Williams accessed the firearm used in the incident and whether any adult in his life could face criminal responsibility for failing to secure it.
Charges against the parents have not been ruled out.
Image credits: Facebook/Ashley Troy
All three teens involved, Williams, Blevins, and Danika, attended schools within the Santa Rosa County District. In a public statement, the district acknowledged the arrests and described the incident as a tragic loss.
“We are devastated by this situation and are fully cooperating with law enforcement,” the statement read.
Image credits: Facebook/Ashley Troy
For Sheriff Johnson, the case is unlike anything he’s faced in nearly a decade in office. He confirmed this is the first time during his tenure that a juvenile-on-juvenile violence at this level has occurred in the county.
“You don’t want to go out to see a burnt child with bullet holes,” he said, admitting the impact the investigation has left on him. “That is not something you sign up for.”
"How!?" The brutality of the case left Florida residents speechless
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