Lutz Double Homicide Connected To Crips Gang; Rapper Charged

LUTZ, FL — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest in a double homicide that occurred Thursday in Lutz.

Billy Bennett Adams III, 23, of Oakflower Avenue in New Tampa, is facing two counts of premeditated first-degree murder with a firearm and one count of armed burglary of a structure. Adams and one of the victims have identified themselves as members of the Crips gang.

At 11:46 p.m. on Thursday, a person called 911 reporting a shooting in a shed behind a home in the 15000 block of North 23rd Street. Residents of the home said the shed was being used as a make-shift music recording studio.

According to a witness, multiple individuals were inside the shed when the shooting occurred. Two men died from their injuries at the scene.

Through interviews and their investigation, deputies were able to identify Adams as the person who shot both victims.

Adams, a well-known local rapper who goes by the name Ace NH, arrived at the studio that evening with both victims who he knew.

After recording his music, Adams shot both men then fled the scene in his vehicle. Adams and one of the victims self-identify as being part of the Crips gang on social media. The shooting is believed to be a gang-related feud.

On Saturday, Nov. 21, detectives located and arrested Adams. He is currently being held at the Orient Road Jail without bond.

“This was a violent execution this suspect performed, and although the attack was clearly targeted, we will not allow gang-related disputes to disrupt the comfort and safety of innocent residents in any of our communities,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Our deputies responded to the crime scene in less than five minutes the night of the murders and, due to their diligent work around the clock to solve this case, detectives arrested the suspect responsible in less than 48 hours. It is clear that this suspect had no regard for human life, and now he will face the consequences for his actions.”

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has a gang unit that actively combats gang activity.

In September, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Gang Unit was named the Florida Gang Investigators Association's "Gang Unit of the Year."

The award recognizes outstanding unit accomplishments for the past year, including the creation or development of innovative gang enforcement strategies to combat the hundreds of documented gang members in unincorporated Hillsborough County.

Since it was established in July 2019, the HCSO Gang Unit has arrested 170 people and recovered drugs, firearms and stolen property.

The gang unit has successfully used social media platforms to identify and document gang members. This approach also provides intelligence on gang hangout locations and where criminal activity is occurring.

The gang unit has also used surveillance cameras to monitor gang activity. During an operation in September 2019, detectives used surveillance cameras to monitor a group of about 10 people who had been loitering in an apartment complex that was a known hangout spot for Money Power Respect (MPR) and Nine Trey Blood gangs.

Based on intelligence gathered, the HCSO Gang Unit was able to identify a high-ranking MPR gang member. Detectives also learned that the Nine Trey Blood gang out of New York was in the process of forming an alliance with the MPR gang to sell narcotics in the Tampa area. The high-ranking MPR gang member was seen on surveillance video getting into a car and leaving the apartment complex. Detectives conducted a traffic stop and the gang member fled on foot. After a short foot pursuit, the gang member was apprehended and was found to be in possession of narcotics and a handgun with the serial number removed.

The gang member was a four-time convicted felon that had just been released from Florida State Prison. He was charged with multiple offenses, including armed trafficking in MDMA and felon in possession of a firearm.

The gang unit also works with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives.

One such collaboration led to federal charges and disrupted the narcotics alliance between the two gangs. Craigory Reeves, 29, was recently sentenced to 23 years in federal prison.

Other notable arrests include a Mongols MC outlaw motorcycle gang member arrested for two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. During his arrest, detectives found two concealed weapons on him. Already a convicted felon, the Mongols gang member was additionally charged with two counts of carrying a concealed weapon by a violent career criminal and was later sentenced to 30 years in Florida State Prison.

Through a relationship with the Florida Department of Corrections, the HCSO Gang Unit received information about a documented member of the Bound for Glory gang, which is a white supremacist group with ties to the Aryan Brotherhood. The member moved from North Carolina to Hillsborough County.

A search warrant was obtained and detectives found illegal narcotics and handwritten letters (gang paraphernalia) from inmates still incarcerated, who also had ties to the Aryan Brotherhood.

He was charged with violating his parole for second-degree murder and extradited back to North Carolina.

Additionally, HCSO's Gang Unit assists other task forces, including the agency's Selective Operation Section (VICE). From January to June, the gang unit helped with a human trafficking investigation. As a result, seven human trafficking victims were identified. Another two men were documented as Latin King gang members and four were gang associates. All six were charged with human trafficking and RICO violations.

"I couldn't be more proud of the many accomplishments of our Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Gang Unit over the course of the last year," Chronister said. "They have taken a team-first approach, working with our patrol and street crimes units to target gang members and hangout locations. It is equally important to note that they have spent hours upon hours in our communities hosting several events and presentations focused on spreading gang awareness and prevention strategies. These relationships have often provided HCSO with useful sources of gang-related intelligence."