Florida rapper Ace NH, whose real name is Billy Adams III, has asked a judge to sentence him to death for the death of his girlfriend's unborn child, instructing his legal team not to present mitigating arguments. In a handwritten letter to Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Mark R. Wolfe, Adams requested the death penalty recommended by a jury for the unborn child's death.
Jury's Mixed Recommendations
The jury recommended life imprisonment without parole for the murder of his girlfriend, Alana Sims, and voted 8–4 for the death penalty on the second count involving the unborn child. Adams has instructed his lawyers not to present further arguments seeking a lesser punishment.
Adams was convicted in September 2026 of killing Sims, 22, and her unborn child. Instead of asking the court to spare his life, he is asking the judge to follow the jury's death penalty recommendation.
Adams's Letter to the Court
In the letter dated October 12, 2026, Adams said he did not want his lawyers to present arguments or evidence asking for a lesser punishment at his sentencing hearing. "I don't want my lawyers to present any mitigation or arguments at this hearing, and I am asking this court to sentence me to what the jury voted for," he wrote, according to a report by FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
He also said he understood what he was giving up by making the request. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 1, 2026. The judge has not yet sentenced him to death, and it remains unclear whether the court will allow him to waive further arguments for a lesser punishment.
Details of the Killing
Sims was killed on January 30, 2023, in New Tampa, Florida. According to prosecutors, Adams shot her in the back of the head at close range. Her approximately 18-month-old son was asleep in an SUV nearby and was found unharmed.
Prosecutors argued that Adams wanted to end his relationship with Sims so he could pursue another relationship. They presented messages exchanged between Adams and another woman, Lakenya Brantley, as evidence of his intentions before the killing. In one reported message sent the day before Sims died, Adams wrote, "tomorrow this s**t done".
Prosecutors also said Adams believed he was the father of Sims' unborn child, although subsequent DNA testing established that he was not the biological father.
Arrest and Trial
Adams was arrested on February 8, 2023, and eventually stood trial more than three years later. The jury found him guilty of the two killings in September 2026. Just three days before Sims was killed, Adams was acquitted in a separate double-murder case involving two men shot at a Florida recording studio in 2020. That acquittal was unrelated to Sims' death and did not prevent police from investigating the later killing.
It is not clear why Adams is now asking to be executed. His letter explains what he wants the court to do but does not establish his reasons for making that decision. The judge has not yet ruled on whether to allow Adams to waive further arguments, and his sentencing hearing is set for December 1, 2026.
