Tampa rapper convicted of murder requests death sentence in letter to judge
Tampa rapper seeks death sentence after conviction
A convicted murderer in Tampa is now pushing to be put to death in a surprise letter he wrote to the judge. Billy Adams, a Tampa rapper, asked to sentence him to death. Last month he was found guilty of killing his girlfriend and her unborn child back in 2023. FOX 13’s Kylie Jones reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - A convicted killer in Tampa wrote a letter asking a judge to sentence him to death for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend's unborn child.
Tampa rapper death sentence request
What we know:
Last month, a jury convicted Billy Adams, 28, of the murders of his pregnant girlfriend, Alana Sims, 22, and her unborn child in 2023. In an 8 to 4 vote, a jury recommended that Adams be sentenced to death for the murder of Sims' unborn child.
RELATED: Billy Adams sentencing: Tampa jury recommends death for unborn child's killing
According to court filings, Adams wrote a letter to the judge asking to be sentenced to death.
In his letter, Adams wrote, "I don't want my lawyers to present any mitigation or arguments at this hearing, and I am asking this court to sentence me to what the jury voted for."
Criminal defense attorney Anthony Rickman, who's not affiliated with this case, says this isn't common.
PREVIOUS: Tampa rapper Billy Adams found guilty in murder of pregnant girlfriend
"Knowing that there is no end, knowing that there is not tomorrow, that the rest of your life, you're going to be behind walls, behind a cell, without the ability of getting out," Rickman said. "I mean, at the end of the day, there is an end point for them if you are going to get the death penalty. You're not getting old and gray behind bars. So, there must be some mindset behind the fact that you have closure that your life is going to end. And that you're basically giving up the fight."
The backstory:
Prosecutors said Adams shot Sims in the back of the head in 2023, as part of a plan to be with a different girlfriend. It was later determined that Adams was not the father of the unborn child.
He was charged a few days after being acquitted in a separate double murder.
Defense mitigation waiver details
What we don't know:
It's not clear if the judge will grant Adams' request to waive the presentation of mitigating factors at his Spencer hearing, which is scheduled for December 1. Typically, both sides will be able to present any final evidence at the Spencer hearing, before a defendant is formally sentenced.
The judge will still have to consider the mitigating factors that the defense presented during the penalty phase of the trial. The judge will make the final decision on Adams' sentence.
The State Attorney's Office declined to comment on the open case, but confirmed that this move is not common.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from court records, as well as commentary from criminal defense attorney Anthony Rickman.