St. Petersburg, Florida police said a man who shot and killed his estranged girlfriend at a cemetery in front of her two children in 2021 was taken into custody in Mexico after a TikTok video led to someone reporting his whereabouts.

St. Petersburg Police Department Chief Anthony Hollaway announced that after three and a half years of searching for Benjamin Robert Williams, also known as “Bambi”, he was locked up in the Pinellas County Jail.

The 41-year-old suspect was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse, police said.

“Thanks to the dedication of St. Petersburg Police detectives and the invaluable support of the U.S. Marshals and the ATF, a dangerous criminal was captured, bringing justice to the victim’s family,” Holloway said. “While nothing can restore the life of a beloved daughter and mother to two young children, we hope this offers them some long-overdue peace and closure.”

FLORIDA POLICE ID BOYFRIEND AS SUSPECT IN SHOOTING OF MOM KILLED IN FRONT OF HER TWO CHILDREN

Police allege that on July 31, 2021, Williams convinced his estranged girlfriend, Joana Peca, to meet him at a cemetery on 60th Street North in St. Petersburg, so he could see his infant son.

When she arrived, Peca sat in the van while holding their baby. Williams then allegedly shot Peca multiple times in the face and killed her, police said. Peca’s other child was in the backseat of the vehicle at the time of the shooting, and neither child was physically harmed.

Officers responded to the scene around 5:30 p.m. that evening and found Peca dead inside her car, department spokesperson Sandra Bentil previously told Fox News.

FLORIDA ‘SUITCASE KILLER’ RECEIVES SENTENCE AFTER SUFFOCATING BOYFRIEND DURING ‘HIDE-AND-SEEK GAME’

Benjamin Robert Williams was arrested in Mexico, nearly 3 1/2 years after he allegedly shot and killed his estranged girlfriend in Florida while she was holding their infant child. This is Williams pictured in 2021. (St. Petersburg Police)

After the incident, police obtained an arrest warrant for Williams. Investigators from several agencies were also able to offer a reward of up to $25,000 for any information leading to his arrest.

Williams was also featured on the show, “In Pursuit with John Walsh” in 2022, yet Williams remained on the loose.

But last week, someone watched a TikTok post containing a shared local news story about the shooting. Above the video, the poster wrote, “Manhunt for man who killed girlfriend while holding her 4-month-old baby.”

FLORIDA GRANDFATHER, 71, FATALLY SHOT BY NEIGHBOR DURING NOISE DISPUTE; SUSPECTED GUNMAN CLAIMS SELF-DEFENSE

A TikTok video helped lead to the arrest of Benjamin Robert Williams, after a viewer contacted St. Petersburg Police to say he was living in Mexico. ( Jaque Silva/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

After watching the video, the person contacted the St. Petersburg Police Department with a tip that Williams was living in Mexico.

Investigators contacted the U.S. Marshals Service, who were able to take Williams into custody and return him to the U.S.

He was picked up from Miami and transported to the Pinellas County Jail where he remains in custody without bond.

TikTok did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Jail records show Williams has been arrested in Pinellas County about 40 times since 2007. He has been charged in the past with drug possession, tampering with evidence, aggravated battery, armed robbery, grand theft and resisting arrest.

Alabama continues to get the benefit of the doubt from the College Football Playoff committee. 

Miami’s playoff hopes took a potentially fatal nosedive while Alabama’s got a boost Tuesday night in the last rankings before the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is set next weekend.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The Hurricanes (10-2) moved down six spots, to No. 12 — the first team out of the projected bracket after suffering their second loss of the season. They are one spot behind the Crimson Tide (9-3), who won last week and moved up two spots to No. 11, where they are projected as the last team in.

It was the strongest indication yet that the selection committee is looking at more than mere wins and losses, but also at strength of schedule and other factors that appear to give the Southeastern Conference an edge.

NFL WIFE DEVON MOSTERT RECEIVES RACIST HATE ONLINE FOR DEFENDING DESANTIS AGAINST HARRIS

Oregon stayed at No. 1 for the fifth straight week and will head into Saturday’s Big Ten title game as the only undefeated team in big-time college football.

The pairings for college football’s first 12-team playoff will be set Sunday, the day after a slate of conference title games. The playoff games start Dec. 20, with the title game set for Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day walks off the field after the game against the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 30, 2024, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH. (Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Here are the teams currently in the dance:

1. Oregon 12-0

2.Texas 11-1

3. Penn State 11-1

4. Notre Dame 11-1

5. Georgia 10-2

6. Ohio State 10-2

7. Tennessee 10-2

8. SMU 11-1

9. Indiana 11-1

10. Boise State 11-1

11. Alabama 9-3

12. Miami 10-2

The Associated Press contributed this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The University of New Mexico is investigating an incident involving two members of the men’s basketball team in which one player allegedly punched another on a flight last month over a seat, according to multiple reports. 

A walk-on player of the Lobos basketball team was allegedly punched in the shoulder by a scholarship player when the team was traveling to Palm Springs for the Acrisure Classic just before Thanksgiving, KOB 4 reported after speaking to the family of the suspected victim. 

Neither player was named. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

According to the family, the argument stemmed from a disagreement about where the walk-on player was sitting on the plane. They also alleged that the player was punched in the same shoulder that was already injured, which he was already in a sling because of, and that he was later treated at a hospital in Albuquerque when the team returned. 

The family also alleged that a similar incident involving the same player occurred at the hotel the same day. 

The alleged victim reportedly told the coaching staff about the incident, but claimed that nothing was done. 

New Mexico Lobos head coach Richard Pitino looks on against the Clemson Tigers during the first half of the NCAA Tournament First Round at FedExForum on March 22, 2024. (Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports)

AUBURN BASKETBALL FIGHT ONBOARD FLIGHT RESULTS IN BLOODIED PLAYER, RIPPED CLOTHES: REPORT

An attorney representing the walk-on player told KRQE that the scholarship player was allowed to play in two games after the incident took place. 

Representatives for the university told Fox News Digital in a statement that they are investigating the incident. 

“The University of New Mexico takes the safety and well-being of all our students very seriously. We are aware of an alleged incident involving members of our men’s basketball team and are carefully reviewing and assessing all of the facts,” the statement read. 

The New Mexico Lobos logo is shown on the floor before a college basketball game against the Nevada Wolf Pack at The Pit on January 28, 2024 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We are following all appropriate protocols and procedures in addressing this situation and are committed to addressing any misconduct appropriately. Due to federal student privacy laws, specifically the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), we cannot disclose specific details or comment further on individual student matters.”

Head coach Richard Pitino would not clarify any details in a press conference on Monday. 

“There’s not a whole lot I can talk about. We are handling any disciplinary matters internally, but other than that there’s not a whole lot I can say specifically.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams appeared to defend the Marine veteran charged in the death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man with a lengthy criminal history who shouted death threats in a subway car before he was subdued and choked out.

Daniel Penny, 26, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of a manslaughter charge in the May 2023 death. He is also charged with criminally negligent homicide.

Jurors began deliberations on Tuesday following a trial.

Neely, 30, who had a long rap sheet, a history of mental illness and an active arrest warrant at the time he died, stepped onto the train, threw his jacket on the ground and began making death threats, warning that he wasn’t afraid to die, to go back to jail or to spend life in prison.

DANIEL PENNY RETURNS TO COURT FOR CLOSING ARGUMENTS IN SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD TRIAL

Penny grabbed him from behind in a headlock, wrestled him to the ground and held him with the help of another passenger. He remained at the scene and spoke with police voluntarily. Neely eventually died.

“We’re now on the subway where we’re hearing someone talking about hurting people, killing people,” Adams said on the Nov. 30 episode of “The Rob Astorino Show.” “You have someone [Penny] on that subway who was responding, doing what we should have done as a city.”

“Those passengers were afraid,” the mayor added. 

Penny repeatedly eased up when Neely, who once performed as a Michael Jackson impersonator, stopped struggling and only squeezed to hold him down when he started trying to break free, Penny’s defense attorney, Steven Raiser, told jurors during his closing argument. 

Jordan Neely (left) and Moses Harper doing their Michael Jackson impersonations in front Regal cinemas in Times Square where the Michael Jackson movie “This is IT” is screening, Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Neely was killed on Monday, May 1, 2023 on a New York City subway after reportedly being placed in a chokehold by a fellow passenger. (Andrew Savulich/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

“The government wasn’t there. The police weren’t there. Danny was,” Raiser said. “And when he needed help no one was there. The government has the nerve to blame Danny because police weren’t there? Blame Danny for holding on when police weren’t there?”

Manhattan prosecutor Dafna Yoran countered, saying Penny “didn’t recognize that Jordan Neely was a person” and that “he saw him as a person that needed to be eliminated.”

Adams also criticized the city’s mental health system.

DANIEL PENNY PROSECUTOR DANGLES RACE CARD AGAIN OVER DEFENSE OBJECTION DESPITE NO HATE CRIME CHARGES

Daniel Penny and Jordan Neely.

“Then you look at the complete failure of our mental health system, a complete failure from the days of closing psychiatric wards and having those who needed help just turned over into the street without giving any safety net to accept them.” 

The City Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Neely’s death a homicide by asphyxiation, blaming the chokehold.

Neely had a history of attacks on subway riders and other criminal behavior. In 2021, he socked a 67-year-old woman as she exited the Bowery station in the East Village in Lower Manhattan. 

Between January 2020 and August 2021, he was arrested three times: for public lewdness after pulling down his pants and exposing himself to a female stranger, misdemeanor assault for hitting a woman in the face, and criminal contempt for violating a restraining order. All three cases were dismissed as part of his Feb. 9 plea deal.

While discussing the case, Adams also criticized the use of a photo of Neely used by the media.

Daniel Penny arrives at Manhattan Supreme Court in New York, NY on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. Closing arguments are expected to finish today in his second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide trial in the 2023 death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“It seemed like it was a young innocent child who was brutally murdered, and it gave that impression. When you look at the photo that was being used, it wanted to set up in the minds of people that we were dealing with a young innocent child that you know, just a Michael Jackson imitator that, you know, was brutally assaulted.”

Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.

A new top prosecutor was sworn in on Tuesday in one of California’s most progressive cities, promising a “hard middle approach” as Los Angeles attempts to turn the page on rampant crime and lax prosecutorial policies.

Nathan Hochman is the new Los Angeles County District Attorney, taking office after ousting the previous district attorney, George Gascón. Hochman won against the incumbent after promising a tougher-on-crime approach, while also rejecting mass incarceration.

“District attorneys must have only two things as their North Stars: the facts and the law,” Hochman told his supporters Tuesday. “I reject blanket extreme policies on both sides of the pendulum swing – decarceration policies that predetermine that certain crimes and certain criminals are not going to be prosecuted and mass incarceration policies that also are not anchored in the facts and the law.”

Throughout his campaign, Hochman touted his “hard middle approach,” saying that “the voices of the residents of L.A. County have been heard, and they’re saying enough is enough of George Gascón’s policies, and they look forward to a safer future.”

CALIFORNIA’S UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS SYSTEM ‘BROKEN’ WITH $20B OWED TO FEDS IN LOAN DEBT: REPORT

The 61-year-old former federal prosecutor – who ran as an independent after seeking the state attorney general’s office as a Republican in 2022 – was sworn in at noon local time in a ceremony outside the Hall of Justice, with former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger administering the oath.

NATHAN HOCHMAN OUSTS EMBATTLED LIBERAL PROSECUTOR GEORGE GASCON AS LA COUNTY DA AMID CRIME CONCERNS

“We are here collectively as Angelenos… who are looking to live in a county where safety is prioritized,” Hochman said prior to the ceremony.

Nathan Hochman (R) greets former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger after he swore in Hochman as Los Angeles district attorney outside the Hall of Justice on December 3, 2024.  (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

Hochman’s victory is a promise to usher in a new era of crime policies in liberal Los Angeles. Hochman vowed to “restore the purpose of the District Attorney’s Office to fairly, effectively, and vigorously prosecute those who break laws in Los Angeles County based on the evidence and the law.”

Hochman said he would also “restore the integrity and independence of the district attorney by not making decisions based on a party affiliation or political ideology but solely on the facts and the law.”

Nathan Hochman, with his wife Vivienne Vella, is sworn in by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as Los Angeles district attorney outside the Hall of Justice on December 3, 2024.  (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)

Day One Promises:

On day one, Hochman promised to hit the ground running to restore law and order.

• He promised to restore “the ability of prosecutors to pursue sentencing enhancements for defendants who used firearms in the commission of their crimes, or whose crimes were committed for the benefit of criminal street gangs.”
• He promised to remove “Gascón’s prohibition on prosecutors attending parole hearings to advocate on behalf of rape victims and relatives of homicide victims when their assailants are seeking an early release from prison.”
• He also promised to rescind a prohibition against charging juveniles with misdemeanors for stealing merchandise valued at less than $950.

Hochman said that along with his overarching goals as the new district attorney, he plans on focusing on organizing task forces to handle top issues that are grievances for many residents. The task force will deal with homelessness, fentanyl poisoning, human trafficking, hate crimes, organized retail crime and residential burglaries.

LOS ANGELES OFFICIALS STILL ON ‘PROGRESSIVE WARPATH’ DESPITE OVERWHELMING VOTER REBUKE OF LEFTIST POLICIES

“No longer is this can getting kicked down the road,” he said. “The D.A.’s Office will partner with federal, state and local law enforcement, government organizations, nonprofits and other groups to seek solutions to problems that have severely affected public safety and the quality of life of residents throughout the county.”

WATCH:

The new top prosecutor will begin his term with a bang – tasked with re-examining the high-profile case of Erik and Lyle Menendez. The brothers, who are serving life sentences without parole for the 1989 shotgun slayings of their parents, are awaiting a decision on their bid for release based on what their attorneys say is new evidence that they were sexually abused by their father.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In the run-up to the election, Gascón announced that he supported the resentencing of the brothers, but a judge last week delayed a decision on the matter until January.