A years-long manhunt for a man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend has finally come to an end after a TikTok video cracked the case.
Joana Peca, 27, was shot and killed on July 31, 2021, while holding her baby in her arms in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Police believe her ex-boyfriend Benjamin “Bambi” Robert Williams, 41, lured her to Woodlawn Memory Gardens cemetery so he could see his son.
As she sat in the van with her baby on her lap and her four-year-old son in the backseat, she was shot several times in the face. Neither child was injured.
The accused killer, Williams, fled the scene and had been on the run for almost three and a half years – until a TikTok post caught the attention of a Good Samaritan.
Jasmeen Alexander had shared a video clip of original reporting on the case on her True Crime TikTok page, which is followed by 2.8 million followers.
Police said someone recognized the suspected killer and reported him.
He was subsequently arrested in Mexico City by St. Petersburg police on November 30 and has since been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse.
Joana Peca, 27, was shot and killed while holding her baby in her arms in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 31, 2021
Benjamin “Bambi” Robert Williams, 41, was taken into custody by St. Petersburg police in Mexico City on November 30 for allegedly shooting 27-year-old Joana Peca in 2021.
Incredibly, the TikTok video was originally posted just 10 days after the shooting in August 2021.
Despite this, someone saw his photo in the news report last month and notified the U.S. Embassy in Mexico.
Alexander, who lives in Alabama, said, “The fact that her four-year-old was in the backseat. She was holding her baby. I have a newborn myself, so it was like, I really need to get this out there
“When it comes to social media, your video can come out at any time,” she shared Fox13.
The true crime poster revealed that detectives contacted her explaining that her video helped them solve the case on December 1.
“It’s crazy, inexplicable,” Alexander said. “But I mean, it was just meant to happen that way, I guess. You really can’t explain it.’
‘I deal with so many cases every day and it’s really heartbreaking, especially her case because her children were in the car and I’m a mother. So it really made me feel good that I could help give her family some closure,” the TikToker shared KBTX.
The victim’s mother, Eleni Peca, said of the arrest: ‘Instead of looking for a white dress for my daughter’s wedding, I went looking for the white coffin to bury my daughter.
‘I will always miss her smile. I’m going to miss my daughter being near me, being with her children and playing with her children.
‘Three years and three months is too long. He ran, but he couldn’t hide anymore. All eyes are on him, and ultimately he is behind bars where he belongs.”
Peca sat in the van with her baby on her lap and her four-year-old son in the backseat. She was shot several times in the face. Neither child was injured
Jasmeen Alexander had shared a video clip of the original reporting on the case on her True Crime TikTok page, which is followed by 2.8 million followers
The true crime poster revealed that detectives contacted her explaining that her video helped them solve the case on December 1.
The victim’s mother, Eleni Peca, said of the arrest: ‘Three years and three months is too long. He ran, but he couldn’t hide anymore. All eyes are on him, and he’s finally behind bars where he belongs.”
Williams has been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse
St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said at a news conference: “A dangerous criminal is no longer a threat to the community or the family because they feared he would come back and try to harm the family.”
“I feel like a Christmas present for me and my boys came early this year, and I couldn’t ask for more than that phone call I got from the police station,” she added.
St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said: “A dangerous criminal is no longer a threat to the community or family because they feared he would come back and try to harm the family.
“Nothing can replace the loss of your daughter, but at least we have a dangerous person off the streets.
“At least a loving mother, a loving daughter and the family can know now that we have him in custody.”
A warrant had been issued for Williams’ arrest at the time of the crime.
With the help of the U.S. Marshals Service, Pinellas County’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms & Explosives and Crime Stoppers, officials offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to his arrest.
The suspect was also a fugitive on the show ‘In Pursuit with John Walsh’ in 2022.
The U.S. Marshals Service transported the suspect from Mexico to Miami, where he was then taken to the Pinellas County Jail. He is currently being held without bond.