Two Florida teenagers will face adult prosecution after a grand jury indicted them on charges of first-degree premeditated murder in the killing of a 14-year-old girl who authorities say was shot multiple times and set on fire.
Gabriel Williams, 16, and Kimahri Blevins, 14, were each indicted for allegedly luring Danika Troy to a wooded area in Pace before killing her, according to statements released Friday by the Office of the State Attorney.
Both Williams and Blevins will be tried as adults and held without bail at the Santa Rosa County Jail. Their cases are scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 8, 2026.
Danika’s mother reported her as a runaway on Dec. 1. The following day, a passerby found her body in a wooded area in Pace, a community in Florida’s Panhandle. Investigators said she had been shot multiple times and then set on fire.
Investigators said they quickly identified Williams and Blevins—two teens who attended school with Danika—and took them into custody.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson described the case as especially disturbing during a news conference after Danika’s body was discovered.
“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.”
Authorities have not publicly identified a clear motive. 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 considered whether the killing may have been tied to a social-media dispute over Thanksgiving break. The sheriff’s office said the boys claimed they targeted Danika after she blocked Blevins on social media and called Williams “worthless and a gang banger.”
Danika’s mother, Ashley Troy, disputed that account, telling the New York Post, “What those boys said is an excuse.”
