Accused murderer’s YouTube diary may trace own trail in killing of teen

Does Semmie Lee Williams’ own video diary, plus surveillance video retrace steps?

MIAMI, Fla. – Semmie Lee Williams Jr. is the man who investigators say stabbed a 14-year-old Palm Beach Gardens teen multiple times, leaving the boy’s body in a wooded area near an Interstate 95 overpass.

Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Clint Shannon said Williams, 39, was a homeless drifter who spent most of his time on the streets of Miami.

[RELATED: Police Chief Announces Arrest Of Semmie Lee Williams]

On a YouTube channel — a video diary that Williams had allegedly been keeping — a posting on Nov. 16, appears to be taken aboard a Tri-Rail train. The arrest form, while it doesn’t specifically state the manner of travel, says that there was evidence to show that Williams traveled to Palm Beach County on Nov. 15 and returned to Miami on Nov. 16.

The video diary documents a mind consumed with paranoid thoughts of conspiracy.

In one video, the raspy voice that is most likely that of Williams, can be heard saying that “they have been having people ride by me on bicycles.”

On Nov. 15 at 6:40 p.m., investigators say Ryan Rogers left his home in Palm Beach Gardens on his bike. At 10:30 p.m., his mother, Cindy, reported him missing.

Video surveillance showed what investigators say was an individual walking northbound on Central Boulevard at 7:20 p.m. The subject was walking toward the victim. “The two would have crossed paths at approximately 7:31 p.m.”

Data recovered from Ryan Rogers’ cellphone revealed that the teen “stopped traveling” at approximately 7:31 p.m., according to the arrest form.

In the video diary, the voice says that “they are illegally following me.” He describes a location in the video recorded Nov. 15, which is about six miles from where the boy’s body was found.

There’s another video which shows the grounds of Camillus House, a non-profit that provides services and programs to the homeless community in Miami.

The individual in the video says he’s been discriminated and harassed in the shower and also mentions Camillus House by name.

A spokesperson from Camillus House told Local 10 News that Williams was never a resident, but that he had started coming into the facility in late October for a daycare service, which provides showers and fresh clothing.

The spokesperson said that everyone who enters the facility is screened to ensure they have no drugs or weapons and that records show that staff has not had issues with Williams while he was at the facility.

The last day Williams was at Camillus House, according to the spokesperson, was Nov. 24.

The address on the arrest form where Williams was taken into custody is Keralty Hospital in West Miami. Administration at the hospital would not confirm or deny to Local 10 News that the arrest was made at the hospital or whether or not Williams was a patient or a visitor there. That remains a mystery.


About the Authors:

Christina returned to Local 10 in 2019 as a reporter after covering Hurricane Dorian for the station. She is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist and previously earned an Emmy Award while at WPLG for her investigative consumer protection segment "Call Christina."

Christian De La Rosa joined Local 10 News in April 2017 after spending time as a reporter and anchor in Atlanta, San Diego, Orlando and Panama City Beach.