Two teenagers from Florida are set to be tried as adults following their indictment by a grand jury for the premeditated murder of a 14-year-old girl. The horrific crime involved the victim being shot several times and then set ablaze.
Gabriel Williams, aged 16, and Kimahri Blevins, aged 14, face charges of first-degree premeditated murder. According to the State Attorney’s Office, the two allegedly lured the victim, Danika Troy, to a secluded wooded area in Pace, Florida, where they committed the crime.
Held without the possibility of bail, Williams and Blevins will remain in custody at the Santa Rosa County Jail. Their arraignment is scheduled for January 8, 2026, where they will face the charges as adults.
Danika was initially reported as a runaway by her mother on December 1. Tragically, her body was discovered the following day by someone passing through a wooded region in Pace, part of Florida’s Panhandle. The investigation revealed that she had been both shot multiple times and set on fire.
Authorities confirmed on Friday that both suspects, Williams and Blevins, were indicted by a grand jury for first-degree premeditated murder in connection with Danika’s death. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the indictment.
Detectives swiftly identified Williams and Blevins, who were acquainted with Danika through school, as primary suspects in the case, leading to their prompt arrest.
Danika Troy, a 14-year-old Florida teenager, was found shot multiple times and burned in a wooded area in Pace, Florida, on Dec. 1, 2025. Danika’s mother had reported her as a runaway the day prior. (GoFundMe)
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson described the killing at a news conference after Danika’s body was found earlier this month.
“This is where it gets really horrific,” he said, explaining that Williams allegedly stole his mother’s handgun before shooting Danika. “It’s bad enough you kill a 14-year-old. You’re 14. You’re 16. Shoot her multiple times, and then they set her on fire.”
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told reporters that the suspects were supposedly friends with the victim from school. He said investigators were still working to determine a motive during a news conference on Dec. 4, 2025. (Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office)
The motive for the killing remains unclear. Johnson said the explanations the teens offered at the time “don’t fit the forensics or any facts of the case,” adding, “so we don’t have a legit motive.”
Detectives initially believed the murder may have stemmed from a social-media dispute over Thanksgiving break. According to the sheriff’s office, the boys claimed they targeted Danika because she had blocked Blevins on social media and called Williams “worthless and a gang banger.”
Danika’s mother, Ashley Troy, rejected that narrative, telling the New York Post, “What those boys said is an excuse.”
