Rapper Ace NH Accused of Murdering Pregnant Girlfriend Days After Being Acquitted in Double-Murder

Tampa-based rapper Ace NH has been arrested and charged in the fatal shooting of his pregnant girlfriend. The musician, real name Billy Bennett Adams III, was arrested earlier in February and charged with first-degree murder and killing an unborn child by injury to the mother after he allegedly lured his pregnant girlfriend to a New Tampa neighborhood and fatally shot her. The crime came just three days after a jury acquitted him on separate double murder charges.

The fatal shooting occurred on Jan. 30, when, according to police, Adams allegedly lured 22-year-old Alana Smith to a New Tampa neighborhood for a party to celebrate Adams' acquittal before fatally shooting her while her toddler slept in her car just feet away, according to Tampa Bay Times. Sims was five months pregnant at the time. Fox 13 reported that her body was discovered the following day by someone in the neighborhood who called police after discovering an unconscious woman lying in the grassy area near the road. When police arrived at the scene, they found Sims dead next to her vehicle with "upper body trauma." Her toddler son was sleeping in his car seat.

'It seemed she was lured there'

A 22 Y/O mom killed while she was 5 months pregnant by the man she said was the father of her unborn child. That man #Tampa rapper Billy Adams or "Ace NH". He was acquitted of double murder three days prior to this mom being found dead @10TampaBay pic.twitter.com/KOjbKRjXX8

— Angelina Salcedo (@AngelinaWTSP) February 9, 2023

When police first questioned Adams, the rapper, recorded three albums, two EPs and several singles, initially claimed self-defense and gave conflicting information. Per Fox 13, Adams told police that Sims pulled a gun on him and he wrestled it away from her. He previously claimed that he was home the night of the shooting. He also said that he did not believe he was the father of her unborn child. Adams provided police with video showing him with his friends, though police determined the footage had been altered, and was actually shot on Feb. 1. Sims ultimately confessed to the crime.

"Initially the defendant stated that the victim pulled a gun on him, and while the defendant wrestled with the victim he shot her," police said. "When the defendant could not demonstrate the events, the defendant changed his statement to the fact that the victim pulled a gun on him and he was able to get the gun away from the victim and then shot her in the head as self-defense."

Police said they believe Adams, who in late January was acquitted in the November 2020 shooting deaths of Trevon Albury and Daniel Thompson in a Tampa recording studio, no longer wanted Sims in his life and wasn't ready to be a father. Fox 13 reported that court documents showed a possible love triangle between Adams, Sims, and another woman, and just a day before the shooting, Adams texted the other woman who seemed upset by Sims' pregnancy. Adams told her he wanted to have a life and that Sims wouldn't be a part of it, He also told her that "tomorrow this s- done."

On Feb. 13, a judge denied Adams' request for bond. At the time, Adams' attorney asked the judge to put a gag order on the case, telling the judge that one news article published on Feb. 9 included some publicly available information about the case, "some of which is highly speculative, some of which is highly inaccurate." However, the state argued that the gag order would violate Florida Statute 119 regarding freedom of the press. The judge denied the request.