TikTok Post Leads To Man’s Arrest Years After Killing Of Woman In Front Of Their Child

A Florida man was recognized in a TikTok video after being on the run from police for years, leading to his arrest in the killing of his estranged girlfriend, St. Petersburg police announced Tuesday.

Benjamin Williams, 41, is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the 2021 death of 27-year-old Joana Peca, and he also faces two counts of child abuse.

St. Petersburg police said that on July 31 of that year, Williams had convinced Peca to meet him at a local cemetery so he could see their infant son. But after she arrived, Peca was shot multiple times in the face while holding the 4-month-old.

Peca was in her car the time of the shooting, and police said that her other child, a 4-year-old, was in the back seat. Neither the 4-month-old nor the 4-year-old was harmed.

Williams fled after the incident, and authorities asked the public for help finding him. The search would go on for years, with a $25,000 reward offered for information leading to his arrest. Williams was also featured on a 2022 episode of victim rights advocate John Walsh’s “In Pursuit” TV show.

At a press conference this week, the St. Petersburg police chief said that a woman in Mexico had seen a TikTok post featuring news footage about Peca’s killing and recognized Williams. The good Samaritan went to the U.S. Embassy there and notified authorities, who tipped off St. Petersburg police about Williams’ presence in Mexico.

Williams is now being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bond. It’s unclear if he has an attorney representing him.

“I’m always going to miss her smile,” Peca’s mother, Eleni Peca, said at this week’s press conference as she remembered the 27-year-old. “I’m going to miss my daughter being around me, being around her kids and playing with her kids.”

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.