Authorities have charged a Central Florida man with murder after he allegedly fatally shot a father of five because of the noise his all-terrain vehicle was making.
Police in Winter Garden say that 57-year-old Ralph Hensel was lying in wait before he shot 32-year-old Ja’Keem Williams on Feb. 20.
According to WSVN, Hensel told police that he was agitated and upset by the neighborhood ATV riders and told local police that if they didn’t stop them from riding through the apartment complex, he would take matters into his own hands.
Hensel then shot Williams while he was riding his ATV, police say. According to witnesses, the 57-year-old walked away from the crime scene after saying, “I killed him.”
Hensel has been charged with first-degree murder. He was denied bond and remains behind bars at the Orange County Jail.
Family members say Williams was a beloved and amazing father.
“He was funny, he was humble, so non-confrontational. He didn’t like to argue,” said Briana Bermudez, mother of three of Williams’ three children, ages 6, 4, and 11 months.
Now, they’re calling for hate crime charges against Hensel and want him sentenced to death for Williams’ murder.
“I want to see him get the death penalty,” Bermudez told WESH. “I want to make sure that he is charged with the hate crime that he committed.”
Bermudez and Sierra Rose, the mother of Williams’ two other children, who are 10 and 11, say they hope justice is delivered in Hensel’s case, but Williams’ loss is cemented in their hearts and the hearts of their children.
“There’s nothing that the justice system can do to him that’s gonna make me hurt any less, make it any easier for my kids,” Bermudez said.
“It’s not going to change anything,” Rose added.
A memorial was held for Williams on Feb. 22 at the apartment complex where he was shot.
Authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
This case bears similarities to the widely-known case of Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old boy who was shot to death at a Florida gas station in November 2012. An argument broke out between Davis and 45-year-old Michael Dunn after Dunn requested the teen and his friends to turn down the loud rap music they were playing.
The confrontation escalated when Dunn pulled a firearm from his glove compartment and fatally shot Davis. During his trial, defense attorneys argued that Dunn was acting in self-defense after Davis and his friends allegedly threatened to kill Davis. However, witnesses reported never hearing Davis threaten Dunn and investigators never found any weapons on the teen or in his vehicle. Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder in October 2014 and sentenced to life in prison.
