‘It came as quite a shock’: Juror in Billy Adams' double murder case speaks about new murder charge
TAMPA, Fla. - Billy Adams walked from a Tampa courtroom as a free man on January 27 after a jury acquitted him of killing Trevon Albury and Daniel Thompson in a makeshift recording studio in Lutz.
Three days later, police say Alana Sims, a young mother who was pregnant with her second child, was found shot to death in a residential area of New Tampa. Her toddler was still in her vehicle nearby.
Adams would eventually admit to pulling the trigger before his arrest on February 8.
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"It came as quite a shock. Even though I expected at some point he might re-offend, I didn't think it would be just a few days after we acquitted him," one juror said.
A juror, who didn’t want his identity revealed, spoke with FOX 13 about Adams’ first trial. He said the deliberations that lasted about four hours were intense and initially divided.
"I want to make clear that no one on the jury actually believed Billy Adams’ testimony, but we didn't have to believe his testimony. What we needed to find was proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and we could not find that," the juror said.
Adams claimed self-defense in the 2020 killings, even taking the stand to testify in his own defense.
"The prosecution, while it's not required to provide a motive, didn't provide a motive. So, we had to say either this young man, for no apparent reason, got up and executed in cold blood these two men who he may have come there with or may not have come there with, or his story," the juror said.
Criminal defense attorneys not involved in the case say self-defense cases are among the toughest for prosecutors.
"Especially in a case like this, where you have a defendant who takes the stand, and he tells the story, and he looks the jurors in the eyes in a convincing manner, explaining why he felt that it was necessary for him to act in self-defense and kill them before he could be killed," Local Attorney Anthony Rickman said.
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After Adams' second arrest, Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez released the following statement:
"What this defendant did is unimaginable. Our thoughts and support are with the family members of these crime victims. Since the night of the murders, we have worked closely with TPD to arrest this killer. While we respect the verdict of the jury in the prior case, we disagreed with it and that is why we prosecuted him. We will continue to work with TPD to prosecute him for these latest crimes."
In the latest arrest, police said Adams lured Sims to a New Tampa neighborhood for a party on January 30. Police said they believe the motive was that Adams didn’t want to be in Sims’ life anymore and wasn’t ready to be a father.
Adams was denied bond on the latest charges in the death of Alana Sims and her unborn child.