Danika Troy was only 14 years old when her life was brutally taken in a Florida crime that prosecutors say was deliberate, calculated, and unimaginably cruel. Authorities allege she was lured by two teenage boys to a secluded walking path in Pace, Florida, near Pensacola in the state’s panhandle, where she was shot multiple times and then set on fire, an act of violence so extreme that both suspects will be tried as adults.
The accused Florida tens are Gabriel Williams, 16, and Kimahri Blevins, 14. Prosecutors say the pair orchestrated the encounter, drawing Danika Troy to the path on Nov. 30 under false pretenses before carrying out the killing. Investigators allege Troy was shot repeatedly at close range and, after she was dead, her body was deliberately torched in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.
Danika Troy’s killers lured daughter into woods by claiming they had crush on her, mom says: ‘She just wanted to be in love’ https://t.co/5q9xrIEOaH pic.twitter.com/OFpHvdeyb9
— New York Post (@nypost) December 8, 2025
The aftermath of the murder of Danika Troy was so devastating that her badly burned body could only be identified by the shoes she was wearing and her electric scooter, which she had ridden to the walking path. The scooter was found nearby, a haunting marker of the trap investigators say she was led into and a stark reminder of how quickly an ordinary day turned fatal.
Law enforcement officials described the alleged sequence of events as chilling, emphasizing that the actions went far beyond a spontaneous or impulsive act. According to investigators, the location was chosen for its isolation, allowing the teens time to carry out the attack on Danika Troy and flee before the crime was discovered. The condition of Troy’s remains prompted an immediate, intensive investigation that quickly focused on Williams and Blevins.
“This is what major crimes calls a ground ball,” said Bob Johnson after the arrests. “The evidence pointed to them immediately. They took them into custody immediately.” Johnson later underscored the brutality of the case, saying, “It’s bad enough that you kill a 14-year-old. You’re 14, you’re 16, you shoot her multiple times, and then you set her on fire.”
The Florida boys were arrested within days and initially held at a juvenile detention center. A clear motive for the killing remains elusive. Investigators believe the attack may have been planned following a disagreement among Danika Troy and the teens that played out on social media earlier in November. Authorities say the online conflict escalated after Troy allegedly insulted Williams during the dispute, but officials caution that the explanations offered so far do not align with the physical evidence. “They have been interviewed, but the motive that we’re getting doesn’t fit the forensics or any facts of the case,” Johnson said.
For the family of Danika Troy, the unanswered questions only compound their grief. Her mother, Ashley Troy, said her daughter had been friends with the boys before the online fallout and believes the betrayal was deeply personal. She alleged that one of the teens deceived Danika into meeting them by feigning romantic interest. “Gabe pretended to have feelings for her. That’s how she was lured,” Ashley Troy said.
Two Florida teens, 14-year-old Kimahri Blevins and 16-year-old Gabriel Williams, allegedly lured 14-year-old Danika Troy to a wooded area in Pace after an online dispute where she blocked Blevins and insulted Williams, then shot her multiple times and set her body ablaze on… pic.twitter.com/LwXuaZCC6y
— VeroNetX (@VeroNetX) December 7, 2025
For Danika’s family, the legal process unfolds against a backdrop of overwhelming grief. “I don’t know how I’m holding up, really,” Ashley Troy told the New York Post. “Every other day, every new wave of pain and denial of how this could be real — my baby, killed. It’s nothing I ever imagined. My worst nightmare.”
Loved ones remember Danika Troy as a trusting, kind-hearted girl who should have been focused on school, friendships, and dreams for the future. Instead, her life ended violently on a quiet walking path, transforming a familiar place into a symbol of horror and loss. As the case moves forward, a 14-year-old girl is gone forever, two teenagers stand accused of an act that will define their lives, and a Florida community is left grappling with a tragedy that should never have happened.
