St. Petersburg, Florida Police said a man who fatally shot his estranged girlfriend in a cemetery in front of her two children in 2021 was taken into custody in Mexico after a TikTok video led someone to report his whereabouts.
St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Hollaway announced that after a three-and-a-half year search for Benjamin Robert Williams, also known as “Bambi,” he was booked into the Pinellas County Jail.
The 41-year-old suspect was suspected of premeditated murder and two counts of child abuse, police said.
“Thanks to the dedication of St. Petersburg Police Department 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. “While nothing can restore the lives of a beloved daughter and mother of two young children, we hope this provides them with some long-awaited peace and closure.”
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Benjamin Robert Williams was arrested in Mexico nearly 3 1/2 years after he allegedly shot and killed his estranged girlfriend in Florida as she held their infant son. (Saint Petersburg Police)
Police allege that on July 31, 2021, Williams convinced his estranged girlfriend, Joana Peca, to meet him at a cemetery on 60th Street North in St. Petersburg so he could see his infant son.
When she arrived, Peca was sitting in the van holding their baby. Williams then allegedly shot Peca in the face multiple times, killing her, police said. Peca’s other child was in the backseat of the vehicle at the time of the shooting and neither child was physically injured.
Officers arrived on scene that evening around 5:30 p.m found Peca dead in her cardepartment spokesperson Sandra Bentil previously told Fox News.
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Benjamin Robert Williams was arrested in Mexico nearly 3 1/2 years after he allegedly shot and killed his estranged girlfriend in Florida as she held their infant son. This is Williams pictured in 2021. (Saint Petersburg Police)
Following the incident, police obtained an arrest warrant for Williams. Investigators from several agencies could also offer a reward of up to $25,000 for any information leading to his arrest.
Williams also appeared on the show “In Pursuit with John Walsh” in 2022, but Williams remained on the run.
But last week, someone looked at a TikTok post sharing a local news story about the shooting. Above the video, the poster read: “Search for man who killed girlfriend while holding her four-month-old baby.”
A TikTok video led to the arrest of Benjamin Robert Williams after a viewer contacted St. Petersburg police to say he lived in Mexico. (Jaque Silva/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
After watching the video, the person contacted the Saint Petersburg Police Department with a tip that Williams was living in Mexico.
Investigators contacted the US Marshals Service, who were able to take Williams into custody and return him to the US
He was picked up from Miami and transported to the Pinellas County Jail, where he remains in custody without bond.
TikTok did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.
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Jail records show Williams has been arrested about 40 times in Pinellas County since 2007. He has been charged in the past with drug possession, tampering with evidence, aggravated battery, armed robbery, grand theft and resisting arrest.
