TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa rapper facing charges in the death of a 22-year-old pregnant woman will remain in jail until his trial.

Billy Adams III, 25, was arrested last week for the murder of Alana Sims, 22, who was five months pregnant at the time of her death. Sims was found outside her car on Pictorial Park Dr. in New Tampa on Jan. 30.

Her 18-month-old son was found sleeping in his car seat. 

Adams' arrest came just days after he was acquitted in the murders of two men at a Lutz recording studio.

Hillsborough County Judge Margaret Taylor agreed with the state that Adams posed a threat to the community and should remain in jail while awaiting trial.

What You Need To Know

  • Tampa Police arrested Billy Adams, 25, for the murder of Alana Sims, 22

  • Sims was found shot to death in New Tampa outside her car on Jan. 30, while her 18-month old son was just feet away in his car seat

  • Police say they have video of Adams' car in the area where Sims was killed, despite his statements to detectives that he wasn't in the vicinity at the time of the murder

  • Adams will remain in jail until trial

Stout said the investigation revealed Sims considered Adams to be her boyfriend and believed him to be the father of her unborn child. 

"When detectives went to interview Billy Adams about why or who he thought could have been involved in the murder of Alana is really where the first inkling that something was very wrong with his statements occurred for our homicide detectives," Stout said.

Stout said Adams claimed that he hadn't spoken to Sims in a long time and that he didn't know she was dead or that he was the reported father of her child.

However, Stout said detectives found video of Adams' car in the area of where Sims was killed, despite Adams telling them he wasn't in the vicinity during the time of the murder. According to court documents, Adams has since claimed self-defense in Adams' death.

Alana Sims, 22, was five months pregnant at the time of her death. Sims was found outside her car on Pictorial Park Drive in New Tampa on Jan. 30. (Family photo)

According to Stout, people interviewed in the course of the investigation helped develop a timeline of what happened, including that Sims believed she was going to a party the night she died. Stout said Adams was acquitted of two counts of murder just three days before Sims was found, and it was that verdict they were supposedly going to celebrate.

Adams is a local rapper who performs as "Ace NH". He was charged with first degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing two men at a Lutz home recording studio in 2020.

Now, Adams faces charges first degree murder and killing of an unborn child by injury to the mother in Sims' death.

"His chain of events is not completely accurate, but he does admit to being the one that pulled the trigger and kill Alana Sims on that evening," Stout said. "The motive is that he did not want to be in her life anymore and was not ready to, you know, have a child, is unfortunately how it appears to us."

"If he wasn't ready to be a father, he could have just left her alone. He could have just stepped out of her life. She would've been taken care of, along with my grandchild," said Shahlevi Sims, Alana Sims' mother.

 

Shahlevi Sims said she never met Adams, but had heard of him and knew Alana believed him to be her child's father.

"I'm glad that they caught who did this to my child, first off. Secondly, it's a shame that a human being can even think that way to even take actions and to do what he did," she said.

Shahlevi Sims said her daughter was a humble, caring person whose 18-month-old son was her everything. She said the focus is now on taking care of her grandson and on laying her daughter to rest. 

"Don't remember Alana as what happened right now, but always remember her as somebody who was caring and lovable," she said.

The support of the community is something Shahlevi Sims said is helping her family get through this time. She set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses.