Florida teens charged after 14-year-old girl found shot and burned in the woods

The victim, Danika Troy, was last seen by her mother on November 30 and was reported missing the next day as a runaway. Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said in a press conference on Thursday that “Unbeknownst to the mother, Danika was murdered the previous night.”

Her body was discovered on December 2 in a wooded area in Pace, Florida, which is located near the southern coast of the Florida Panhandle. Investigators believe she died from multiple gunshot wounds before her body was set on fire.

“This is where it gets really horrific,” Johnson said. “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.

The suspects were identified as 14-year-old Kimahri Blevins and 16-year-old Gabriel Williams. Police said the teens were “acquaintances” from school and had been experiencing tension during the Thanksgiving break. According to Law and Crime, an arrest report stated that a witness told investigators Blevins revealed he and Williams “planned the murder of Danika” and intended to shoot her. They allegedly targeted her because she blocked Blevins on social media and insulted Williams as “worthless and a gang-banger.”

Blevins allegedly snuck out of his home around 11 pm the night of the killing and told his mother he went out to smoke cigarettes, though she said she did not smell anything on him. Detectives said he admitted that he and Troy “had a falling out and he blocked her on social media.” Williams similarly told detectives that Troy had made “hurtful comments” before his arrest.

“This is what Major Crimes calls a groundball, the evidence pointed to them immediately and they took them into custody immediately,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately for the Troy family they have to go through this.”