Two Florida teenagers have been arrested and charged with first-degree premeditated murder after allegedly luring a girl into the woods in Pace, Florida, where they shot her multiple times and set her body on fire, authorities said.
Gabriel Williams, 16, and Kimahri Blevins, 14, are accused of killing Danika Troy, 14, in a wooded area off Kimberly Road in Santa Rosa County.
Danika was reported missing by her mother, Ashley Troy, on Dec. 1 after she discovered her daughter and her electric scooter were gone. The mother last saw her daughter Sunday night, November 30, 2025.
A passerby discovered a body in the wooded area on December 2, 2025. When investigators arrived at the scene, they found evidence of a fire, the electric scooter, and what appeared to be 9mm ammunition casings.
Both teens were arrested Dec. 4 and are being held without bond in juvenile detention. Authorities are seeking to charge them as adults.
“This is where it gets really horrific,” Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said at a press conference. “It’s bad enough you kill a 14-year-old. You’re 14, you’re 16, shoot her multiple times, then they set her on fire.”
According to the investigation, Williams allegedly stole his mother’s handgun before the shooting. The victim’s body was doused with gasoline before being set on fire.
Ashley Troy told media outlets that Williams pretended to have romantic feelings for her daughter. The three teenagers had been acquaintances, but their relationship soured during Thanksgiving break. The victim had blocked Blevins on social media, and she had called Williams worthless and a gang-banger, which upset him.
When questioned by investigators, Blevins immediately requested a lawyer when the questioning turned to what happened in the woods.
According to the investigation, Blevins snuck home around 11 p.m. on the night of the murder. When his mother questioned what he was doing outside, he told her he had been smoking a cigarette, but she did not smell any smoke on him.
Williams was also questioned and told investigators about the hurtful comments the victim had made toward him.
The case has shocked the small community of Pace, located in the Florida Panhandle. Community members have gathered to remember Danika and support the grieving family.
Despite the horrific nature of the crime, the grieving mother said she does not hate the boys charged in her daughter’s killing, but rather blames what she called an “evil influence.”
She also reached out on social media asking friends to share any photos they had of her daughter. “She never would let me take any of her as a teen,” she wrote, seeking to preserve memories of her child.
Johnson emphasized that investigators quickly identified the two suspects and took them into custody. “This is what Major Crimes calls a groundball, the evidence pointed to them immediately, and they took them into custody immediately,” he said.
Both Williams and Blevins face charges of first-degree premeditated murder. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office is working with the State Attorney’s office to pursue adult charges against the teenagers.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to gather evidence and build their case. Both suspects remain in juvenile custody as prosecutors prepare their case for what they hope will result in the teens being tried as adults.