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2w ago

Trial Opens in Ryan Rogers Killing With DNA at Center of Case

Prosecutors say DNA ties the defendant to the scene.

Semmie Lee Williams sits in court as jury selection begins in Judge Cymonie Rowe's courtroom at the Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley Courthouse in downtown West Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 9, 2025. Williams is accused of the 2021 of stabbing death 14-year-old Ryan Rogers in Palm Beach Gardens. Williams dropped his insanity defense and pled not guilty. (Thomas Cordy/Palm Beach Post, Pool)
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Overview

  • Jurors heard opening statements as the state outlined forensic links including the victim’s nail clippings, tangled headphones and a bloody bandana said to bear the defendant’s DNA.
  • The judge allowed jurors to see a pink note from the defendant’s wallet reading "I am Mr. Killer" over a defense objection that it would confuse the jury.
  • Defense attorneys told jurors Semmie Lee Williams Jr. did not kill the 14-year-old, asserting he found the body in the woods and fled because he believed he was being gang stalked.
  • Ryan Rogers’ mother briefly testified about her son’s Nov. 15, 2021 bike ride and his failure to return home, with no cross-examination.
  • Williams withdrew an insanity plea on the eve of trial and now pleads not guilty; he was arrested in Miami two weeks after the killing and faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted.