The heartbroken mother of a 14-year-old Florida girl has expressed a profound and unexpected compassion for the two teenage boys charged with her daughter's brutal murder.
A Brutal Discovery in the Woods
Danika Troy was reported missing by her mother, Ashley Troy, before a passer-by made a grim discovery in a wooded area near Pace, Florida, on Tuesday. The 14-year-old's body bore gunshot wounds and had been set alight.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office swiftly moved to arrest two teenage suspects. Gabriel Williams, 16, and Kimahri Blevins, 14, were both charged with first-degree premeditated murder on Wednesday. Authorities allege the pair lured Danika to the woods, shot her, and then set her body on fire.
A Motive That 'Doesn't Fit' and a Mother's Forgiveness
Investigators believe the killing was planned following a public falling out over the Thanksgiving break. It is alleged Danika had insulted Williams and been blocked by Blevins on social media. Sheriff Bob Johnson, however, stated the known motive "doesn't fit the forensics or any facts of the case."
In a remarkable statement to The New York Post, Ashley Troy, a devout Baptist, directed her anguish not at the boys but at the forces she believes drove them. "I don't blame those boys. I blame evil influence," she said. "I don't hate them, I hate what they did to my baby." She added, "She loved them, and they brutally murdered her." Despite her compassion, she desires "nothing less than for them to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
Confessions and Ongoing Investigation
The case unfolded rapidly after Blevins' mother grew suspicious when her son sneaked home late on Sunday night without smelling of smoke as he had claimed. Blevins later confessed to police in the back of an unmarked car, with his mother's permission and after being read his Miranda Rights.
He stated the last contact was over Thanksgiving and confirmed their falling out. Williams, questioned separately, reportedly confessed at the police station, saying Troy had made hurtful comments, calling him "worthless and a gang-banger." A witness told police the initial plan was to shoot Danika once, but the situation escalated horrifically.
Both teenagers remain in custody at the Santa Rosa Juvenile Detention Center without bail as the investigation continues. The community will gather for a candlelit vigil at the family's church, Avalon Baptist Church in Milton, on Monday night.
