WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Wednesday is day four of the Semmie Williams Jr. trial, following a day heavily focused on surveillance video evidence on Tuesday.
Williams faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of 14-year-old Ryan Rogers, who was riding his bike near his home in Palm Beach Gardens in November 2021 when police said he was randomly attacked and stabbed to death by Williams, who had no ties to the community or the teen.
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The state's first witness is Colleen Machado, a senior crime analyst with the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.
Before the jury was brought in Tuesday, Williams asked to address the judge, saying he needed to be moved from his current cell because he has a "sensitivity to electromagnetic frequencies" that are coming from the guard's station. The judge said that will be discussed later.
The first witness called by the state Tuesday was Jennifer Brashear, a former crime analyst at the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department and lead detective on the Rogers case. She says she got to scene around 9:15 a.m. on Nov. 16, 2021, about 15 minutes after Rogers' body was found. The crime scene was already roped off but she confirmed the scene had not been tampered with and was secured.
The defense objected to surveillance videos that were to be shown in court, specifically, how the videos were authenticated. After review, the court found further authentication was not necessary.
The state called Michael McCabe, a former deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office who worked intake and transport. He said on Dec. 2, 2021, he came into contact with Williams for fingerprinting and to make sure he understood the charges against him.
When McCabe asked if he understood the charges, he alleges Williams stated, "Yeah, I killed that mother (expletive) and I'll kill you too."
The jury was shown surveillance video of a struggle between McCabe and Williams without audio.
The state said earlier this week that it will be bringing in roughly 22 witnesses, including Rogers' family members.
The trial is now expected to end on Jan. 22.
