A judge has blocked the possibility of the death penalty in the case of Semmie Williams Jr., who is facing a first-degree murder charge in the 2021 death of a Palm Beach Gardens teenager.
According to a state attorney spokesman, a judge precluded the possibility of the death penalty in this case. The state attorney's office is appealing the judge's ruling so it can have the option of seeking the death penalty.
One of Williams' attorneys filed a motion in February 2024 asking a Palm Beach County judge to block the state's attempt to seek the death penalty, due to an intellectual disability.
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Williams is charged with first-degree murder in the November 2021 death of 14-year-old Ryan Rogers, who was found dead near the Central Boulevard sidewalk at the Interstate 95 overpass. Police said the stabbing of Rogers, who had been riding his bike, was a random act and that Williams was a "homeless drifter" who had no connection to Palm Beach Gardens or Palm Beach County.
Prosecutors stated in January 2022 that they would seek the death penalty for Williams. In June 2022, a judge ruled he was competent to stand trial.
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In the motion filed earlier this year, attorney Scott T. Pribble said Williams' evaluation by psychologist Dr. Joette James established that he meets the criteria for intellectual disability.
