How a TikTok Video Led to Arrest of Man Accused of Luring Girlfriend to Cemetery and Shooting Her

Police say a TikTok video post has led to the capture of a Florida man who was on the run for more than three years after he allegedly lured his estranged girlfriend to a cemetery where he killed her.

Benjamin “Bambi” Williams, 41, was arrested Saturday, Nov. 30, and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the 2021 death of Joana Peca, 27, St. Petersburg police announced on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

He was also charged with two counts of child abuse.

Williams’ case was featured on In Pursuit with John Walsh in 2022 and a $25,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest.

Authorities said Williams lured Peca to Woodlawn Memory Gardens cemetery in St. Petersburg at about 5 p.m. on July 31, 2021, so that he could meet his 4-month-old son.

“Joana was sitting in her van, holding their baby, when Williams shot her multiple times in the face and killed her,” states a St. Petersburg Police Department press release posted on Facebook. “Her other child was sitting in the backseat during the shooting. Neither child was harmed.”

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Williams was finally taken into custody after a good Samaritan, who saw a post on TikTok about the case last week, notified authorities that he was allegedly hiding out in Mexico.

The U.S. Marshals Service transported Williams to Miami and he was then taken to the Pinellas County Jail, where he is being held.

“Three years and three months is too long,” Peca’s mother, Eleni Peca, said at a press conference on Tuesday about the arrest. “He was running but he couldn’t hide anymore.”

“I’m going to miss her smile,” she said about her daughter. “Instead of going and finding a white dress for my daughter’s wedding…I was going to find a white casket to bury my daughter…Starting today, Benjamin Williams’ freedom is over. He’s not going to see the daylight again. He’s behind bars where he belongs.”

It is unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.