MENU NEWS SPORTS CBS4 News 77° CBS4 Investigates: Man Accused Of Killing Ryan Rogers Could Have Faced Two Decades In Prison For Prior Crime By Austin Carter December 3, 2021 at 11:10 pm Filed Under:Austin Carter, Local TV, Miami News, Semmie Williams MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A homeless man arrested in Miami, accused of killing Ryan Rogers, an innocent teen in Palm Beach County, could have been sentenced to two decades in prison for a past crime. With a past littered with violent offenses, how was he still on the streets? READ MORE: Miami Weather: Warming Trend Continues, Muggier By Monday Between 2004 and 2016, Semmie Williams faced at least a dozen criminal charges spanning three states, including several charges in Florida. “I would describe it as an innocent child victim having a chance encounter with a very violent criminal,” said Chief Clint Shannon, Palm Beach Gardens Police Department. CBS4 News obtained court documents from one of Williams’ prior violent crimes in 2014 – aggravated assault with strangulation and battery on a senior citizen in Georgia. According to documents, the offenses had a possible maximum sentence of 21 years. Fulton County prosecutors wanted to keep Williams behind bars saying that the attack was unprovoked, and if Williams was allowed to leave their custody it was “basically just exporting a potentially violent situation to another jurisdiction.” READ MORE: Bicyclist Struck, Killed By Vehicle In Fort Lauderdale “Unfortunately for the young man who was killed in South Florida, a lot of what goes into a judge’s mind in determining what kind of sentence is imposed is what the defendant’s prior criminal history is,” said David Weinstein. Williams’ history had no felony charges. Former state and federal prosecutor David Weinstein says that key piece may have led to the judge’s sentencing, releasing Williams from custody on time served and giving him first-offender status. “If this individual had accumulated a number of felony convictions he would not have been eligible for a first offender kind of sentence and so he would have been sentenced to a longer number of years, and if there were a number of felony convictions, the judge would in all likelihood have sentenced him to a number of years much closer to what the maximum punishment was,” says Weinstein. Documents also show that Williams was originally sentenced to be banished from Fulton County, Georgia, and be put on a bus to Florida to stay with his mom. MORE NEWS: Parents Of Michigan School Shooting Suspect Arrested She later changed her tune and was unwilling to take him back. AUSTIN CARTER More from Austin Carter twitter_url facebook_url email_address FOLLOW US facebook_url twitter_url youtube_url reddit_url linkedin_url OUR | NEWSLETTER MOST VIEWED Banksy 'Charlie Brown' Sells For $4 Million, While Child Prodigy Thrills Crowd With His Artwork Miami Police Department Sees Record Number of Applications In Hours Plantation Teen Charged With Extorting Florida Senator Lauren Book With Explicit Photos Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Works 'La Ventanita' At Versailles Restaurant During Hispanic Heritage Month Miami Dolphins LB Jerome Baker Embraces 'Different' Responsibilities More Than 1,300 Hospitalized In Florida For COVID-19 Tua Is Rolling For Miami, Giants Have Questions At QB Arrest Made After Social Media Threat Targets Marjory Stoneman Douglas High CBS4 Exclusive: Support Beams At Dadeland Mall Parking Garage Alarms Shoppers Florida Man Charged With Murder 38 Years Later; New Tech Helped Crack Case Follow Us NEWS Miami News Local Business Consumer Politics HealthWatch Galleries SPORTS Miami Sports Dolphins Heat Panthers Marlins STATION INFO CBS4 My TV 33 SEEN ON TV Miami Weather Program Guide Video on Demand Watch Live CBS+ Contact Us Contests & Promotions COMMUNITY Facing South Florida Focus on South Florida Neighbors 4 Neighbors CORPORATE About Us Advertise Connect Paramount+ ©2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Powered by WordPress VIP Terms Of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Personal Information Public File for WFOR-TV / CBS4 Public File for WBFS-TV / My TV33 Public Inspection File Help EEO Report We use cookies and similar technologies to understand how you use our services, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising as described in our Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy. Accept All Reject All Manage Cookies