TAMPA, FLORIDA — October 23, 2026. A Florida rapper convicted of killing his pregnant girlfriend and her unborn child has taken an unusual step ahead of sentencing: asking the judge to impose the death penalty. Billy Adams III, 28, who performs under the name Ace NH, submitted a handwritten letter requesting that the court follow a jury’s recommendation that he be sentenced to death for the killing of the unborn child.
The request adds another development to a case that began with the January 2023 killing of 22-year-old Alana Sims in Tampa. Adams was found guilty in September 2026 of two separate first-degree murder offenses. However, the jury recommended different punishments for the two convictions, leaving Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Mark Wolfe to determine whether Adams will receive a death sentence on the count involving the unborn child.
BILLY ADAMS ASKS JUDGE TO IMPOSE DEATH SENTENCE
In a letter filed October 12, Adams asked Judge Wolfe to honor the jury’s death penalty recommendation during a hearing scheduled for December 1. He also requested permission to waive additional mitigating evidence, which defense attorneys ordinarily present to persuade a judge to impose life imprisonment rather than death.
Adams indicated that he understood the consequences of his request and had discussed the decision with his legal team. His letter states, “I don’t have an issue with the death penalty.” Legal analysts interviewed by Florida television stations described the request as unusual, emphasizing that a defendant’s willingness to accept capital punishment does not automatically determine the sentence.
JURY RECOMMENDED TWO DIFFERENT SENTENCES
The jury reached its guilty verdicts on September 1, 2026, following a trial in Hillsborough County. During the penalty phase the next day, jurors recommended life imprisonment without parole for Sims’ murder. However, for the separate conviction involving her unborn child, the jury voted 8–4 in favor of the death penalty.
Florida law permits a death recommendation when at least eight jurors support it, provided the required legal findings have been made. A judge may nevertheless impose life imprisonment after reviewing the aggravating and mitigating factors. Adams’ December hearing is therefore a significant procedural step, but it is not an execution hearing and does not guarantee a death sentence.
HOW ALANA SIMS AND HER UNBORN CHILD WERE KILLED
Sims was five months pregnant when she was killed on January 30, 2023, in the Easton Park neighborhood of New Tampa. Police discovered her body near her vehicle, where her 18-month-old child was found sleeping and unharmed.
According to prosecutors, Adams arranged to meet Sims under the pretense of attending a celebration and then shot her. Investigators presented evidence about the couple’s relationship and argued that Adams wanted to avoid becoming a father and continue a relationship with another woman. The prosecution also reported that later paternity findings showed he was not the father of Sims’ unborn child, although investigators said he believed otherwise before the killing.
PREVIOUS DOUBLE-MURDER ACQUITTAL BECAME PART OF THE CASE
Just three days before Sims’ death, Adams had been acquitted in a separate case involving two men killed at a recording studio in 2020. His defense argued that he acted in self-defense, and the jury found him not guilty.
Investigators in Sims’ case said she believed she was going to a gathering celebrating that acquittal. Adams was subsequently arrested in February 2023 and eventually tried for the killings of Sims and her unborn child. The earlier acquittal was a separate legal outcome and did not constitute a conviction or establish guilt in that case.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE DECEMBER 1 HEARING?
Adams’ next appearance is scheduled as a Spencer hearing, a proceeding in Florida capital cases that allows the court to consider additional relevant information before sentencing. The judge must assess the evidence and legally required sentencing factors, including mitigation presented earlier in the proceedings.
It remains unclear whether Wolfe will permit Adams to waive further mitigating arguments. Even if the request is accepted, the judge must still make an independent sentencing determination consistent with Florida law.
FLORIDA’S DEATH PENALTY PRACTICES ADD CONTEXT
Adams’ sentencing request comes during a period of unusually frequent executions in Florida. The state carried out its 18th execution of 2026 on October 20, when William Reaves was executed for the murder of a sheriff’s deputy. Florida conducted 19 executions in 2025, its highest annual total since the modern death penalty was reinstated.
The state’s capital sentencing system permits a death recommendation without unanimous jury support, although all required eligibility findings must satisfy the applicable legal standards. Death sentences are also subject to judicial review, meaning a sentencing decision does not result in an immediate execution.
JUDGE’S DECISION WILL DETERMINE NEXT LEGAL STEPS
For Adams, the immediate legal question is whether the court will impose life imprisonment without parole or follow the jury’s recommendation of death on the unborn-child murder count. The court must also address his request to limit further defense arguments.
The case has drawn attention because the convicted defendant is personally requesting the most severe punishment available under Florida law. However, the decision belongs to the court, not to Adams. The December 1 proceedings will determine the next stage of a case involving the deaths of Alana Sims and her unborn child, whose family has already endured more than three years of criminal proceedings.
