Police arrested a “homeless drifter” for the shocking stabbing and murder of a 14-year-old boy who had left his Florida home on a bike ride in the evening.
Ryan Rogers was reported missing after he rode off on his bike and didn’t return to his home in Palm Beach Gardens.
A day later on Nov. 16, his body was found about two dozen feet away from a sidewalk near the 1-95 overpass on Central Boulevard.
Police initially released few details in the case, saying only that there was evidence that the boy had been killed intentionally.
Palm Beach Gardens police said they found headphones near the body and were able to obtain DNA evidence that linked the crime to the suspect.
They arrested 39-year-old Semmie Lee Williams Jr. in Miami on Wednesday. Police had a warrant for Williams’ backpack, where they found a bloodied bandana. Analysis of the blood found that both Williams and Rogers contributed to the bloodstains.
“He appears to be a homeless drifter spending most of his time in the streets of Miami,” said Palm Beach Gardens Chief of Police Clint Shannon in a media briefing. Williams has a long criminal record with some violent offenses, including aggravated assault with strangulation.
Police said the attack appeared to be a “completely random act” and that the victim did not know the suspect before the attack.
“He has no ties that we can determine to Palm Beach Gardens or Palm Beach County — none whatsoever,” said Shannon.
“It’s a mystery to us why this man was in our community but we have evidence that places him on the scene and makes him responsible for the murder of this child,” he added.
The autopsy report said Rogers had been stabbed in the face and head multiple times. It listed his cause of death as homicide.
Police charged Williams with first-degree murder with a weapon. He was held without bail.
Here’s a local news report about the heinous incident:
Homeless man from Miami charged with murder of Ryan Rogers, Palm Beach Gardens police say
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