Murder Charge Filed In Death Of 14-Year-Old Temple Terrace Girl

TAMPA, FL — A case that tugged at the heart strings of the community, as well as Tampa police officers, has culminated in the arrest of a 44-year-old Tampa man with a history of violence.

On Thursday afternoon, a U.S. Marshals Task Force took Ronny Walker into custody and charged him with premeditated first-degree murder in the May 6 homicide of 14-year-old Nilexia B. Alexander of Temple Terrace.

At a news conference Friday morning attended by Nilexia's mother, Ashley Alexander; Rise Up For Peace members Patricia Brown, Derek Graham and J. Johnson; Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren and Sgt. Mike Lippold of the Tampa police, Deputy Chief Calvin Johnson said the case was personal to him.

"As a parent, I know that this would never take away that deep sense of loss that Ashley and her family feel, knowing their daughter will never come home to them again," Johnson said. "But we hope this arrest provides some sense of closure for the family knowing that this violent criminal is behind bars."

From the moment the Tampa police received the 911 call, Johnson said the department pulled out all the stops to solve the case.

"On May 6 at 3:58 in the morning, Tampa Police Department responded to a 911 call that a female lay unresponsive in a vacant field in the 100 block of Floribraska," Johnson said, relaying the chain of events that led to Thursday's arrest. "The witness who called reported hearing gunfire and went outside and saw a young female laying on the ground and called 911 for help. The officers responded to the scene and, from that moment on, Tampa Police Department worked tirelessly to bring this individual to justice."

As Johnson spoke, an overwhelmed Ashley Alexander burst into tears. Lippold put his arm around her and hugged her close, indicating the close relationship the police have forged with Alexander and her family during this emotional, two-month search for Nilexia's killer.

When Johnson turned over the microphone to Alexander, she was too emotional to say more than a few sentences. But those brief remarks spoke volumes about the relief she felt.

"I thank God," she said. "I prayed and prayed for this day to come. It won't bring my baby girl back, but it will bring me some peace that he's off the streets and a little bit of closure."

Warren said it was the Tampa police investigators' dogged determination that led to Walker's arrest.

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"Yesterday's arrest of the man who murdered Nilexia Alexander is a step toward justice," he said. "Tampa police detectives pored over evidence the last two months, following all the leads, working meticulously and relentlessly to solve this case."

Now, it's up to him and his team to fulfill their promise to Nilexia's family, he said.

"This case is going to be prosecuted. This case is going to be complicated. But TPD has done great work to make an arrest and put our office in the position now to prosecute Nilexia's killer," Warren said. "The TPD, FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) and the marshals task force did yeoman's work to bring us to this step. But all it guarantees is we have a fight to achieve justice for Ashley and her family."

As for obtaining a guilty verdict, all bets are off, said Warren, as evidenced by Walker's history with the justice system.

In 2009, Walker was charged with second-degree murder. But when he went to trial in 2010, he was convicted on a lesser charge of manslaughter, Warren said.

Further rubbing salt in the state attorney's wound, Walker's conviction was overturned on appeal. He ultimately spent eight years in prison before he was released, Warren said.

"The reality is most people who go through the criminal justice system don't go to prison for life," he said. "Had he been convicted back in 2010 of murder 2, maybe it would have been different. That's the situation in any case. Prosecution is complicated."

Warren wouldn't comment on the strength of the state attorney's case, but said he believes the Tampa police followed all leads and provided solid evidence.

Much of that evidence is based on DNA.

Due to the ongoing investigation, Johnson said he couldn't give details about what led police to Walker or whether there was a prior relationship between Walker and Nilexia. Nor could he comment on the premeditation charge.

However, he said DNA samples taken from Walker's vehicle along with evidence from a cell phone in the vehicle that placed Nilexia in it around the time of the homicide were key.

The analysis by the FDLE DNA lab proved to be a match to Nilexia, leading to Thursday's arrest.

Also integral to resolving the case, Johnson said, were the tips from the community and the police department's collaboration with the Rise Up for Peace organization started by West Tampa parents whose children died due to gun violence.

"We need you," Johnson said, addressing the community at large. "We have like 1,000 officers. We can't do this job without your help and the help of organizations like Rise Up for Peace."