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Worlds Most Evil Killers S10E08 Granville Ritchie NOW H 264
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00:00The following program contains distressing scenes.
00:06On May 16, 2014, in Hillsborough County, Florida,
00:12nine-year-old Felicia Williams was reported to have run away
00:17while in the care of family friend Ebony Wiley.
00:22We went to every store in the area that had CCTV,
00:27but never was Felicia on any one of those cameras.
00:31I knew something was up.
00:35Felicia's body was discovered the following day,
00:39floating in the water of Tampa Bay.
00:41She'd been sexually assaulted and murdered.
00:45It's hard for me to envision a more evil series of events
00:50than what she went through.
00:52Faced with the devastating news,
00:55Ebony Wiley admitted she'd left Felicia
00:58in the care of her new boyfriend,
01:0135-year-old Granville Ritchie.
01:05Everything she thought she knew just collapsed around her.
01:13Detectives worked tirelessly to prove that Ritchie
01:16was responsible for Felicia's murder.
01:20Every moment that you're not finding that piece of evidence
01:24is just another moment when someone
01:26who committed a heinous crime
01:28is out there on the street,
01:30able to do so again.
01:31It's very frustrating.
01:34But the mountain of evidence built up,
01:37and Granville Ritchie was eventually revealed
01:40as one of the world's most evil killers.
02:04On September 11th, 2020,
02:07at the Hillsborough County Circuit Court,
02:0941-year-old Granville Ritchie was sentenced to death
02:14for the 2014 murder of 9-year-old Felicia Williams.
02:18It was a crime that had shaken the community of East Tampa
02:22to its core.
02:27Robert Staley, a detective assigned to the case,
02:31worked tirelessly to get justice for Felicia.
02:35Granville Ritchie committed one of the most heinous crimes
02:37I've ever seen in my law enforcement career.
02:41The community was devastated
02:44because this was a young girl.
02:46It was taken far too early.
02:49She was innocent and young and vibrant,
02:53and her family loved her,
02:55and the community ached with the family.
02:59It was the first case tried in Hillsborough County
03:03since a change in Florida's death penalty laws
03:06in October 2014
03:08that meant a unanimous verdict was now required
03:12in the penalty phase to sentence someone to death.
03:15Scott Harmon was the lead prosecuting attorney on the case.
03:21I was extremely proud of this jury,
03:24the amount of work and effort I could see
03:26they were putting into the verdict.
03:28They had to consider, in this case,
03:31a lot of gruesome, horrible evidence
03:34because really the main emphasis in the penalty phase
03:38was her suffering,
03:40and she suffered unbelievably.
03:51This killer's story begins in Kingston, Jamaica,
03:55on December the 5th, 1978.
04:00Granville Ritchie was born in quite a tough area.
04:03He was the eldest, believe it or not, of 18 siblings.
04:06He helped to look after the family as he grew up
04:09because the father was absent quite a lot of the time.
04:13It's not like growing up in the United States.
04:16He lived in a ghetto, a garrison, they call them, in Kingston.
04:20He goes to high school, he graduates, he gets a job,
04:24but at some point in his early 30s,
04:27he decides that he wants to make a better life for himself,
04:29and he sets off for the United States
04:32and moves to Florida.
04:39Ritchie settled in the town of Temple Terrace
04:42in Hillsborough County.
04:46Temple Terrace is a small town.
04:48It's a quiet community.
04:51I was born and raised here,
04:52so I know that although the city has changed over the years,
04:56crime typically remains low.
05:03Approximately 10 miles away from Temple Terrace,
05:07nine-year-old Felicia Williams
05:09was enjoying her childhood with her family.
05:14She lived in East Tampa.
05:17It's kind of a working-class area of Tampa.
05:21She lived with her mother,
05:23and she had several older sisters.
05:26She enjoyed playing with other kids in the neighborhood
05:29and going to the local park to feed the ducks,
05:32doing all kinds of things that kids normally do.
05:37She would always make people laugh.
05:39She was always the center of attention,
05:41and she had a smile that lit up her room.
05:48On May 16, 2014,
05:51police were notified that nine-year-old Felicia
05:54had gone missing from an address in Temple Terrace.
06:01It was a Hillsborough County deputy
06:03that was flagged down by the family,
06:05and this was about nine or ten o'clock at night.
06:09The family informed her that the child was missing.
06:13Robert Staley was brought in
06:15to work the missing person's case.
06:18He was informed that Felicia
06:19had been in the care of a family friend,
06:2223-year-old Ebony Wiley,
06:25when she disappeared.
06:27Ebony and Felicia were once neighbors.
06:29That's how they actually met.
06:30She used to live next door
06:32to Felicia Williams and her family.
06:35She befriended them,
06:37and specifically befriended Felicia,
06:40this little nine-year-old girl.
06:42She would take Felicia to do fun activities.
06:46She took her to Wednesday night church.
06:48She would take her to McDonald's.
06:50She even went as far as to start calling herself
06:53Felicia's godmother.
06:57The story that Ebony told us
06:59when we came into contact with her
07:00was that her and another female named Vivian
07:03had picked up Felicia from her home,
07:06drove her to Checkers,
07:07which is a fast food establishment,
07:09and then drove her to an apartment
07:11in Draloaks,
07:12in the city of Temple Terrace.
07:17Ebony leaves the main living area
07:19where Felicia is.
07:20Some time passes,
07:22and when she comes out,
07:25Felicia's gone.
07:28It wasn't suspicious at the time
07:31because they said she just walked out of the apartment.
07:37That night,
07:38Robert was tasked with assisting the search.
07:44My role going out there
07:46was to support the officers
07:47and the detectives on scene
07:48and circulate the apartment complex,
07:51look in cars,
07:53look behind buildings,
07:54and then eventually,
07:55I left the apartment complex
07:57and traveled the path
07:59that we thought that Felicia would take
08:01to get home,
08:01the most direct route.
08:03I went towards her neighborhood,
08:05checked the sidewalks,
08:06checked the streets,
08:07and couldn't find her.
08:10By the next morning,
08:12there was still no sign
08:13of nine-year-old Felicia Williams.
08:17The following day
08:19is when things really started to ramp up.
08:23And we had all of our surrounding
08:24law enforcement agencies
08:26looking for her.
08:27We had the Tampa Police Department,
08:28we had the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office,
08:29we had everyone looking for her.
08:31We had called in the entire detective team.
08:33So really,
08:34it was an all-hands-on-deck mission
08:36at that point
08:37to find her
08:38before something bad happened to her.
08:43They went all through
08:44the apartment complex,
08:45any empty apartments they checked,
08:47all the dumpsters,
08:48all the areas surrounding the apartment,
08:50retention ponds.
08:52They went down
08:52to the Hillsborough River,
08:54which is a short distance south
08:55of that apartment complex.
08:57They searched the river,
08:58they searched the banks of the river.
09:02Temple Terrace detective Tom Carroll
09:04was put in charge
09:06of the investigation.
09:11We went to every store
09:13in the area
09:14that had CCTV
09:15to see if she was on any of them,
09:18the public supermarket there,
09:20all the stores
09:21up and down
09:21North 56th Street,
09:23but never was Felicia
09:25on any one of those cameras.
09:29It was at this time
09:31that I was notified
09:32that Detective Tom Carroll
09:34and I had to go meet with Ebony
09:36to re-interview her.
09:40The two detectives
09:41wanted to check
09:42whether Ebony
09:43or her friend Vivian
09:44had remembered
09:45any more details
09:47from the night before
09:48that could help track
09:50Felicia down.
09:52Rob and I went over
09:54and found Ebony
09:55at her mom's house.
09:57She invited us in
09:59and the very first words
10:00out of her mouth were,
10:02Vivian is a man.
10:06And I went,
10:07excuse me?
10:08And she said,
10:09Vivian is a man.
10:11I still get goosebumps
10:13to this day
10:13because I knew
10:15at that point
10:16that there was something
10:18more going on.
10:23Ebony Wiley
10:24had lied to the police,
10:26but why?
10:27Could this unknown man
10:29be the key
10:30to finding Felicia?
10:32And would they find her
10:33alive?
10:45On May the 17th, 2014,
10:48less than 24 hours
10:50after nine-year-old
10:51Felicia Williams
10:52had gone missing,
10:5423-year-old Ebony Wiley,
10:56the young woman
10:57who'd been taking care
10:58of Felicia
10:59when she vanished
11:00had spoken to detectives
11:02and changed her story.
11:08Why lie about this story
11:11with Vivian
11:12when it was just a child
11:13that ran away?
11:14So as soon as she said
11:15this to us,
11:16we both looked at each other
11:17and I knew that I had
11:19to get Ebony
11:20into an interview room
11:21to discuss this further.
11:23So she consensually
11:24went with us
11:25to the police department
11:26where we sat down
11:27and we interviewed her.
11:28She elaborated and said
11:30the person that she said
11:31was Vivian
11:31is actually a man
11:33named Trevor
11:33and that he was in fact
11:35the one that picked up Felicia.
11:38Ebony started to reveal
11:39more details
11:40about what had occurred
11:42the previous day
11:43with Trevor.
11:46They traveled
11:47to Felicia's home,
11:49picked her up,
11:50went to checkers
11:51just like in the original story
11:52and then traveled
11:53to the apartment
11:54and the apartment
11:55was Trevor's apartment.
11:57Detectives ran
11:58the apartment details
12:00through their systems
12:01and hit on a name.
12:04We found out Trevor,
12:06his real name
12:07was Granville Ritchie.
12:11Ebony Wiley
12:12did identify him
12:13from a picture
12:14even though she didn't
12:15know him as Granville,
12:16she knew him as Trevor.
12:18Ebony told detectives
12:20how she'd met
12:2135-year-old Granville Ritchie.
12:26Ebony,
12:27when she first met Granville,
12:29he was in his car
12:29driving down the road
12:30and she was walking
12:31on the side of the road
12:32and he pulled up
12:33next to her
12:34and that's how the two
12:35began conversing
12:36and they exchanged numbers
12:37and this was two days prior
12:39to when Felicia went missing.
12:43By the next day,
12:44they were already dating
12:45and by the day after that,
12:47Miss Wiley already had him
12:48in her phone
12:49under her contacts
12:50as my husband
12:52so she fell head over heels
12:55for this man.
12:58To only know someone
12:59for two days
13:00and to invite
13:01your quote-unquote
13:04goddaughter
13:04to go with you
13:06and this man
13:07to an apartment
13:07that you had never been before,
13:09it raises all kinds
13:10of red flags.
13:12She had fallen
13:13madly in love
13:14with that man
13:14in a very short period of time
13:16and it impacted
13:18her judgment.
13:22Ebony began laying out
13:23her new account
13:24of the previous day's events
13:26to the detectives.
13:32So while at Granville's apartment,
13:34they are talking to Felicia,
13:36they put on a movie
13:37and the story is
13:38that Granville
13:39and Ebony
13:40go into the bedroom
13:41and while they're in the room,
13:43they have intercourse.
13:45After about 45 minutes,
13:47Ebony decides
13:48to go out
13:49and check on Felicia
13:51and when she goes
13:52out into the living room,
13:53she realizes
13:53that Felicia's gone
13:54and that the door
13:55was unlocked.
13:58When I touched that door,
13:59the door was unlocked.
14:00So I knew she had
14:02to go back to the door
14:02because I knew
14:02I had to lock that door.
14:04But from there,
14:05I went back to the door
14:06and said,
14:07it's gone,
14:07it's gone.
14:09The detectives
14:10were suspicious.
14:12They sensed Ebony
14:13wasn't telling them
14:14the whole truth.
14:17You could tell
14:18that something
14:18was being left out.
14:20Just the things
14:20that she was saying
14:21didn't really make
14:22total sense.
14:25And I'm thinking to myself,
14:27I've got to talk
14:28to Granville directly.
14:30I've got to put
14:31the pieces of the puzzle
14:32together here.
14:32and eventually
14:33we do get his number
14:36and he's acting
14:37very suspicious.
14:38Almost like he doesn't
14:39want to talk to me.
14:40I tell him,
14:41look,
14:41I really need
14:42to speak with you.
14:45He agreed to come down
14:47to be questioned.
14:48So the Temple Terrace
14:50police ended up
14:51talking to Granville
14:52Ritchie
14:52at the police department.
14:57He was extremely
14:58cooperative.
15:00We asked for his phone.
15:02He let us look
15:02through his phone.
15:03He gave us a story
15:05and the story
15:05was identical
15:07to Ebony's
15:08second version.
15:17He denied
15:18any knowledge
15:19of where she was,
15:21said he wished
15:22that he knew
15:23where she was.
15:46I could almost tell
15:47immediately
15:48that he wasn't
15:49quite giving us
15:50everything that happened.
15:54The detectives
15:55were in the middle
15:56of their interview
15:57with Granville Ritchie
15:59when they were notified
16:00of some devastating news.
16:05He was actually
16:06giving us a statement
16:07about what happened.
16:10Ebony was in
16:11the other interview room
16:12just sitting around
16:13waiting to see
16:14if she could help us out.
16:16It was about that time
16:17that we were notified
16:18that Clearwater Police
16:20Department
16:20had found a body
16:21in the bay.
16:24Detective Staley
16:25immediately suspected
16:27the body could be
16:28that of nine-year-old
16:29Felicia Williams.
16:32They had located
16:33the body
16:34off the Courtney Campbell
16:35Causeway
16:35and they were still
16:36waiting to confirm
16:37if that was Felicia.
16:40The Courtney Campbell
16:41Causeway
16:42is a long roadway
16:43that stretches
16:44between Hillsborough County
16:45and Pinellas County.
16:46Water on either side.
16:48There's some vegetation,
16:49white mangroves
16:50that grow out there.
16:53If you travel
16:54the Causeway at night
16:55it's dark.
16:56Perfect place
16:57to dump a body.
17:00The previous night's
17:01weather conditions
17:02caused problems
17:04when it came to
17:05identifying the body.
17:09There had been
17:10a northerly wind
17:11that would have
17:12been blowing
17:12and pushing
17:13the surf
17:14and pushing her body
17:15up onto this
17:15jagged, rocky shoreline.
17:19And the condition
17:21of her body
17:21wasn't great.
17:25Those crime scene photos,
17:27it hurts my heart
17:28to see that sort of thing
17:29and what that water did
17:31and the rocks.
17:33Very hard to look at.
17:36But eventually
17:37they did identify
17:38the body
17:38as Felicia Williams.
17:44The missing person inquiry
17:46was now
17:47a murder investigation.
17:51I felt very strongly
17:53that now it's time
17:54to give
17:55Granville Ritchie
17:56his Miranda warning
17:58which I did
17:59and at that point
18:01he invoked
18:01his right to be silent.
18:04He calls his attorney.
18:06His attorney
18:07picks him up
18:07from the police department
18:09and surveillance
18:09terminated.
18:13Ebony, on the other hand,
18:15was in another
18:15interview room.
18:17So Tom and I
18:18go down to the interview room
18:19and we start
18:19talking to Ebony.
18:21Once we told her
18:22that Felicia was gone,
18:24something clicked in her
18:25and she started to twitch
18:27and she started to cry
18:28and you could tell
18:29although she had lied
18:30to us initially,
18:31she didn't know
18:32that we were going
18:33to find her in that way.
18:34She was beside herself.
18:37In that moment
18:39when she was told,
18:40it all clicked into place.
18:44That must have been
18:46a terrible moment for her,
18:49that sudden sinking feeling.
18:53Everything she thought
18:55she knew
18:56just collapsed
18:58around her.
18:59Everything she thought
19:00was the truth,
19:01she realized
19:02was a lie.
19:05I believe from that point
19:06everything that Ebony told me
19:08was true.
19:13Detectives listened
19:15as Ebony Wiley
19:16changed her story
19:17yet again
19:18and told them
19:20her third
19:20and final version
19:22of events.
19:26Granville picks her up
19:27after she gets off work.
19:29They go to Felicia's house,
19:30pick up Felicia
19:31and they go back
19:32to Granville's apartment.
19:34While they're at
19:35Granville's apartment,
19:36Granville goes to
19:37Ebony and says,
19:38Ebony,
19:39I want you to go get
19:40some marijuana.
19:42Ebony's apprehensive,
19:44she doesn't want to
19:45leave Felicia there,
19:46so she asks Felicia,
19:47she says,
19:48why don't you come with me?
19:49Granville stops her
19:50and says,
19:50no,
19:51you're going to get weed,
19:52you shouldn't have
19:53the child in your car,
19:54she can stay here.
19:57Now,
19:58before ever going
19:59into the apartment,
20:00Mr. Ritchie
20:01had given Miss Wiley
20:02a pill,
20:04an ecstasy pill,
20:05so she was already
20:06under the influence
20:07of drugs
20:08at that point
20:09and that probably
20:10played a role
20:11in this
20:11in her decision making
20:12but she left
20:13this little
20:14nine-year-old girl
20:15with this man
20:20She takes
20:21Granville's car
20:22from the apartment.
20:23She meets
20:24with the dealer,
20:25buys marijuana
20:26and starts to head back.
20:29She was gone
20:30for about 45 minutes.
20:33When she got back
20:34to the apartment complex,
20:36she called up
20:37to Mr. Ritchie
20:38to get the codes
20:39to get through
20:40the front gate
20:41of the apartment.
20:43Mr. Ritchie
20:43was upset,
20:44he was agitated,
20:46excited.
20:47He told her,
20:48no, no,
20:48don't come back.
20:49Go to the local pharmacy
20:51across the street
20:52because I gave her money
20:54to go get candy.
20:57Ebony was confused
20:58but she did
21:00what he told her to do
21:01and she turned around
21:01and drove out
21:02of the apartment complex,
21:03drove around the corner
21:05to the pharmacy.
21:09She goes inside
21:10and asks the clerk,
21:12have you seen
21:12a little girl here?
21:14The clerk says no
21:15and while she's there,
21:17she gets another call
21:18from Granville saying,
21:19come back to the apartment.
21:23So at this point,
21:24Ebony had been gone
21:25from the apartment
21:25for about an hour
21:27and when she pulls up
21:28to the apartment,
21:29Granville's standing
21:29in the door
21:30and he's shirtless
21:32and he's sweaty
21:33and according to her,
21:35he was panicked.
21:36He says,
21:36I gave Felicia
21:37some money
21:37to go buy some candy
21:39and she hasn't come back.
21:44Instead of going out
21:45to look for Felicia,
21:46instead of calling 911,
21:48instead of alerting
21:49Felicia's family,
21:50she instead stayed
21:51at the apartment,
21:53drank alcohol,
21:55smoked marijuana,
21:56had sex with Mr. Ritchie.
21:58Several hours later,
22:00Mr. Ritchie told her,
22:02you know,
22:02you're going to have to go
22:03and you're going to have
22:04to tell her family
22:05what happened.
22:07Granville told Ebony,
22:09what you have to tell
22:10the family is that
22:11Felicia left the apartment
22:13and that I wasn't here.
22:16You need to tell them that
22:18because here you are
22:19bringing Felicia over
22:20to a man's house.
22:21It sounds less ominous
22:23when you say that
22:24it's a female's house.
22:25So the Vivian story
22:26is created.
22:28So that's what Ebony
22:29tells the family
22:31and the family
22:32is beside themselves.
22:34They come to Temple Terrace
22:36from their neighborhood
22:37and that's how they meet
22:38with the deputy
22:39to tell them,
22:40our daughter is missing.
22:41This is what Ebony
22:42has told us
22:43happened to Felicia.
22:48Felicia's family
22:49and the whole community
22:50in which she lived
22:52were devastated
22:53by the news
22:54of her death.
22:56It was very frightening
22:58for a lot of people.
23:00I mean,
23:00this is the kind
23:01of crime
23:02that cops
23:03and parents
23:04fear the most.
23:05It's a very scary thing.
23:08The community
23:08wanted to know
23:09what happened
23:10and why it happened
23:11and who was responsible.
23:15This case was important.
23:17It was important
23:18for the victim.
23:18It was important
23:19for the family
23:20and it was important
23:21for this community
23:21because that sort of thing
23:23doesn't happen here.
23:27Detectives were determined
23:28to get justice
23:29for Felicia.
23:34Based on the information
23:35that we got
23:36from Ebony,
23:37now obviously
23:38Ebony's first
23:40two stories
23:40were lies
23:41and based on that
23:43Granville's story
23:44was also a lie.
23:47Why lie
23:48when there's
23:49a little girl missing?
23:50Why lie
23:51to the police
23:51when it's just
23:52a runaway case?
23:57Despite their suspicions
23:59that Richie
24:00had murdered Felicia,
24:02detectives didn't have
24:03enough evidence
24:04to charge him.
24:06Richie had walked
24:07out of the police station
24:08a free man.
24:11Investigators knew
24:11they needed
24:12to build a case quickly
24:13before he had
24:15a chance to disappear
24:17for good.
24:28On May the 17th, 2014,
24:32the body of
24:32nine-year-old
24:33Felicia Williams
24:34had been found
24:35washed up on rocks
24:37in Clearwater, Florida.
24:38Without any
24:40solid evidence,
24:41police had been
24:42forced to release
24:43the man they suspected
24:44of her murder,
24:4635-year-old
24:47Granville Richie.
24:51His new girlfriend,
24:5323-year-old
24:54Ebony Wiley,
24:56had already admitted
24:57lying to the police.
25:01The police ended up
25:03arresting Ebony Wiley
25:05on a charge of lying
25:06during a missing
25:07person investigation.
25:09And when that happened,
25:11that was a significant
25:13news event
25:14and a lot of focus
25:16was put on Ebony.
25:17People wanted to know
25:18what she knew.
25:21Ebony was taken
25:22to county jail
25:23and released on bail
25:25the next day,
25:26while police
25:27started gathering
25:28evidence to help
25:29them bring
25:30Felicia's killer
25:31to justice.
25:34This was a really
25:35frustrating part
25:36about the case
25:36is that we identified
25:38Granville as a suspect
25:39early on.
25:40And we were very confident
25:41with the evidence
25:42that we had,
25:43but we needed to do more
25:44in order to prove
25:45beyond a reasonable doubt
25:47that he was the individual
25:48that killed Felicia.
25:52Every moment
25:53that you're not
25:54finding that piece
25:55of evidence
25:56is just another
25:58moment lost,
25:59another moment
26:00when someone
26:01who committed
26:01a heinous crime
26:02is out there
26:03on the street
26:04able to do so again.
26:06It's very frustrating.
26:09An autopsy
26:11was performed
26:12on Felicia's body.
26:18The medical examiner
26:19finds that she died
26:20from manual strangulation,
26:22that she also had
26:23suffered blunt impact
26:24force to her head
26:25and to her back.
26:27There were impact
26:28lacerations that indicated
26:30that she had been raped.
26:34It would be
26:35an unbelievably,
26:37shockingly evil crime
26:39for an adult woman
26:40to have to go through
26:41what she went through,
26:42but for a child
26:44to go through this,
26:45it's exponentially worse.
26:49Despite his conclusion,
26:51the only DNA
26:53the medical examiner
26:54could find on the body
26:56was Felicia's.
26:57It was a massive blow
26:59to the investigation.
27:01Felicia was dumped
27:03into Tampa Bay.
27:04Her body was ravaged
27:06by those rocks.
27:08That salt water
27:09washed away
27:10so much evidence.
27:13But the detective's luck
27:15was about to change.
27:17Granville Ritchie
27:18had been released,
27:19but he'd left his car
27:20at the station.
27:22Police were able
27:23to process it
27:24for evidence,
27:25and they made a discovery
27:26that would help
27:27get Ritchie
27:28off the streets.
27:32We located a large amount
27:35of marijuana
27:35inside the vehicle,
27:36and we ultimately
27:38charged Granville
27:39with that marijuana,
27:41which created
27:41arrest warrant number one.
27:44On May the 21st,
27:46five days after
27:48Felicia's murder,
27:49Granville Ritchie
27:50was arrested
27:51and held in jail
27:52without bond.
27:55And the drugs
27:57weren't the only thing
27:58found in Ritchie's car.
28:02We find something
28:04that's even more crucial.
28:05It was a white mangrove leaf
28:08that was found
28:09under his headlight
28:10that was similar,
28:12if not identical,
28:14to the white mangrove leaves
28:15along the Courtney Campbell
28:16causeway
28:17where Felicia's body
28:18was dumped.
28:18We also located sand
28:22inside the doorframe,
28:24and that sand
28:26was the same sand
28:28that was out there
28:29at the Courtney Campbell causeway.
28:34A further search
28:36of Granville Ritchie's apartment
28:38also proved fruitful.
28:46That apartment
28:47had been looked at
28:48by law enforcement
28:48probably three times prior.
28:51But they were going in there
28:53looking for Felicia.
28:54They weren't going in there
28:55looking for evidence.
28:58We saw some things
29:00in there
29:00that really made us
29:02suspicious of
29:03what might have happened
29:04to Felicia.
29:06We look out
29:07on the back patio,
29:08and on the back patio,
29:09there's scrape marks
29:10in the concrete.
29:12And there's a wheel
29:14out there,
29:15a suitcase wheel.
29:17And when you step back
29:18into the kitchen,
29:19you can see that
29:20these scratch marks
29:21in the floor
29:21come into the apartment
29:22and go right across
29:24the living room
29:24all the way to the kitchen.
29:26And when you're there
29:27in that moment,
29:28you start to put
29:28this picture together
29:29of how he did
29:31get her out of the apartment.
29:33There were clothes
29:34in the front bedroom
29:35that had been dumped out
29:36almost like somebody
29:37had taken the suitcase
29:38and flipped out
29:39the contents.
29:40And I think the way
29:42that he got her
29:42out of there
29:43was that he put her
29:43into a large suitcase
29:44and brought her downstairs.
29:46The weight of her body
29:48was what broke
29:49the wheel
29:50off the suitcase.
29:53Detectives were also able
29:54to find out
29:55some interesting background
29:57about their prime suspect.
30:03Throughout the course
30:03of this investigation,
30:04we found out
30:05all kinds of things
30:05about Granville's life.
30:07Granville was a very
30:08cocky person.
30:09He was a ladies' man.
30:12He was dating
30:14another woman here locally
30:15over in St. Petersburg.
30:17And he also had
30:18another woman on the hook,
30:19a woman who lived
30:20in Mississippi.
30:21So he was basically
30:23playing several people
30:24and manipulating
30:25several women.
30:27The evidence
30:28against Ritchie
30:29started piling up
30:31when the results
30:32of his cell phone analysis
30:33came back.
30:38Cell phone evidence
30:39was very clear.
30:41His cell phone
30:41was hitting off a tower
30:43right outside
30:44of the apartment complex
30:45where all of this happened.
30:47For several hours
30:48during the entire time
30:49they were in that apartment,
30:50we had them on video,
30:52traffic camera videos,
30:53leaving and fleeing
30:54south on 56th Street.
30:57His phone started
30:58to utilize towers
30:59that indicated
31:00movement of the cell phone.
31:03And the movement
31:04showed us
31:04he was utilizing
31:05cell towers
31:06in a consecutive order
31:07that moved out
31:08onto the Courtney Campbell
31:09Causeway.
31:11This was around
31:1211 o'clock.
31:14When he got close
31:16to the Courtney Campbell
31:16Causeway,
31:17he's making all kinds
31:18of calls,
31:18calling his mom,
31:19calling his girlfriends,
31:20and there's a 27-minute gap
31:22where he's not making
31:23any phone calls.
31:24And that's when
31:25we suspect
31:25that he got rid
31:26of the body
31:27from his vehicle
31:28at the Courtney Campbell
31:28Causeway.
31:32Granville Richie's phone
31:34also revealed
31:35a heartbreaking
31:37911 call
31:38that had been made
31:39on the night
31:40of Felicia's murder.
31:44Temple Terrace
31:45Emergency Services
31:46had received
31:47a 911 call
31:49from Mr. Richie's phone.
31:51And this was
31:52about 15 minutes
31:53after Ebony Wiley
31:54left to go
31:55buy the marijuana.
31:59The call was very brief.
32:00You hear the call taker
32:02say,
32:02Temple Terrace 911,
32:03what's the location
32:03of your emergency?
32:04And there's nothing.
32:08Temple Terrace 911.
32:21It's chilling
32:22to think
32:22of what was going
32:24on on the other
32:24end of that line.
32:27I think that phone call
32:28was Felicia
32:29asking for help.
32:32And she didn't get it
32:34because he denied
32:35her that call.
32:37It still kills me
32:39to this day
32:39is that we weren't able
32:40to geolocate
32:41that call.
32:42It was so brief
32:43that it bounced
32:44off a cell phone tower
32:45that's probably
32:46a quarter of a mile
32:47from the apartment.
32:49I firmly believe
32:51that Felicia
32:51was murdered
32:52within minutes
32:54of that 911 call.
32:58It's hard
32:58for me
32:59to envision
32:59a more horrible
33:01or evil
33:02series of events
33:03than what she
33:04went through.
33:12On August
33:13the 15th,
33:142014,
33:16three months
33:16after Felicia
33:18Williams'
33:18murder,
33:19the state
33:20attorney's office
33:21decided detectives
33:22had found
33:22enough evidence
33:24to prosecute.
33:2535-year-old
33:27Granville Ritchie
33:28was finally
33:29arrested.
33:31We ultimately
33:32charged him
33:33with first-degree
33:33premeditated murder
33:34with child abuse
33:36and with sexual
33:37assault on a minor.
33:41Ebony Wiley
33:42agreed to testify
33:43against Ritchie.
33:46Miss Wiley
33:48was charged
33:49with lying
33:49to the police
33:50in a missing
33:51child's investigation
33:52and she entered
33:54a guilty plea
33:55with her sentencing
33:57to be put off
33:58for later
33:58after she testified.
34:01We had to have
34:02Ebony Wiley's testimony
34:04and it was
34:04somewhat problematic.
34:06She had lied
34:06multiple times
34:08to law enforcement
34:09and those lies
34:10had played
34:11a major role
34:12in this case.
34:19Granville Ritchie
34:20would have
34:20his day
34:21in court
34:21but with the case
34:22relying solely
34:23on circumstantial evidence
34:25prosecutors knew
34:27this was not
34:28going to be
34:28open and shut.
34:30Would the jury
34:31believe
34:32Ebony Wiley's testimony
34:33or would Ritchie
34:35get away
34:35with the rape
34:36and murder
34:37of a nine-year-old child?
34:49In September 2019
34:51five years
34:53after the murder
34:54of nine-year-old
34:55Felicia Williams
34:56Granville Ritchie's trial
34:58began at the Hillsborough
34:59County Circuit Court
35:00in Florida.
35:02Ritchie continued
35:03to deny
35:04he had anything
35:05to do with the murder
35:06and entered
35:07a not guilty plea.
35:15The state announced
35:16early on
35:17that they
35:18planned to seek
35:19the death penalty
35:20against Ritchie
35:21which makes the case
35:23a lot more complicated
35:24and there's
35:25a lot more work
35:26that has to be done
35:27to prepare
35:27for a death penalty case.
35:30Because of all that
35:32essentially
35:32it took five years
35:33before it
35:34went in front
35:35of a jury.
35:37lead prosecuting
35:39attorney
35:39Scott Harmon
35:40laid out
35:41his case
35:42to the jury.
35:44This case
35:45came down
35:45to a theme
35:46that a nine-year-old girl
35:48Felicia Williams
35:49left her house
35:50and she never
35:51came home.
35:53She was left
35:54alone with the defendant
35:55he was the last person
35:56she was seen alive with
35:57and she never
35:58came out
35:59of that apartment
35:59alive.
36:02Granville Ritchie
36:03now 40 years old
36:05appeared a shell
36:06of his former self.
36:10He wasn't
36:11the same person
36:12that I interviewed
36:13for hours
36:13on the day
36:15that Felicia
36:16went missing.
36:18He tried to act
36:19like he was larger
36:20than life
36:20and had
36:21swagger
36:22and he didn't
36:23have that
36:24anymore.
36:24It was gone.
36:27The defense
36:28was really
36:29trying to shoot
36:29holes in our case
36:31to show that
36:31we hadn't proven it
36:32and to show
36:33reasonable doubt.
36:36Ebony Wiley
36:37now 28 years old
36:39and a mother
36:40herself
36:40testified against
36:42the man
36:43she was once
36:44so enamored with.
36:47I believe
36:48that what she
36:49testified to
36:49was honest
36:50but it was
36:51very self-serving.
36:52She really
36:54got on the stand
36:55to defend herself
36:56and her character
36:57in the community
36:58because she took
36:59a significant
37:00amount of heat.
37:02Even during the trial
37:03there were outbursts
37:04in the courtroom.
37:05There was a lot
37:06of animosity
37:07between the family
37:08and her.
37:08They were not
37:09happy with her.
37:11She had taken
37:12their daughter
37:13their little sister
37:14and left her
37:15with this man.
37:17Very immature
37:18very stupid
37:19mistake.
37:24After almost
37:25three weeks
37:26of testimony
37:27Scott Harmon
37:28began his
37:29closing arguments.
37:34There was
37:35kind of a
37:36dramatic moment
37:37where he
37:38asked the jury
37:39to pause
37:39for exactly
37:4160 seconds
37:42and just
37:44imagine
37:44what it would
37:45be like
37:46to be without
37:47oxygen
37:48for 60 seconds.
37:54That was
37:54about half
37:55the time
37:56that it
37:56would have
37:56taken
37:56for her
37:57to die
37:57and it
37:58was a
37:58pretty
37:58effective
37:59argument.
38:00I mean the
38:00whole courtroom
38:01was silent
38:01for 60 seconds.
38:05I think
38:06during that
38:06time a lot
38:06of people
38:07were thinking
38:08about Felicia
38:09and what she
38:09probably went
38:10through.
38:16On September
38:18the 25th
38:192019
38:19the jury
38:21was sent
38:21out
38:22to consider
38:23its verdict.
38:25It took
38:26only four
38:26hours
38:27for them
38:28to reach
38:28a unanimous
38:29decision.
38:32Granville
38:32Ritchie
38:33was convicted
38:34of the
38:34first degree
38:35murder
38:35and the
38:36capital
38:37sexual
38:37battery
38:38of Felicia
38:39Williams.
38:41There was
38:42no reaction
38:43I was
38:44watching him.
38:45There was
38:45no response
38:46from him
38:46whatsoever.
38:47The same
38:48face he had
38:49through the
38:49whole court
38:50was just
38:51stern
38:51almost staring
38:53into oblivion.
38:54If he had
38:55been found
38:56not guilty
38:56or if he
38:57got away
38:57with this
38:58it would
38:58have happened
38:59again.
38:59Guaranteed.
39:00No doubt
39:01in my mind.
39:04On September
39:05the 26th
39:06the penalty
39:07phase of
39:08Granville
39:09Ritchie's
39:09trial began.
39:10A recent
39:12change to
39:12the law
39:13in Florida
39:14meant that
39:14every single
39:15one of the
39:16jurors
39:17would need
39:17to agree
39:18with the
39:19death penalty
39:19sentence
39:20for it
39:21to pass.
39:24I argued
39:25to the jury
39:25that we had
39:26an absolute
39:27mountain
39:28of evidence
39:29of aggravation.
39:30We had
39:31the rape
39:31of a child.
39:32We had
39:33the heinous
39:34atrocious
39:35nature
39:35of what
39:36she went
39:36through
39:36and how
39:37she suffered
39:37and how
39:38cruel it
39:39was.
39:42Strangulation
39:42is not a
39:43quick death.
39:43It takes
39:44several minutes.
39:45Even if you're
39:46a large man
39:47and the victim
39:48is a small
39:49child,
39:49it doesn't
39:50just happen.
39:50There's time
39:51to think
39:51about your
39:52actions.
39:53There's time
39:54to watch
39:54the victim
39:55slip away.
39:56there's
39:56time
39:57to stop
39:57and that
39:58didn't
39:58happen
39:58here.
40:02Felicia's
40:02distraught
40:03family
40:03were asked
40:04to speak.
40:08Felicia's
40:09mother talked
40:10a lot about
40:10her daughter
40:11and the
40:11person she
40:12was and
40:12her character
40:13and how
40:13much she
40:14misses her
40:15and how
40:16devastating
40:17it was
40:17for her
40:18and her
40:18family
40:19to experience
40:20a loss
40:20like this.
40:24Despite
40:24their
40:25heartfelt
40:25testimony,
40:27Richie chose
40:27not to give
40:28Felicia's
40:29parents any
40:30answers as
40:31to why he'd
40:32murdered their
40:33little girl.
40:34We don't know
40:35the order of
40:35events,
40:36we don't know
40:36what his
40:36mindset was,
40:37we don't know
40:37any of those
40:38things,
40:38and that may
40:39go to his
40:40grave.
40:44Prosecutors
40:44knew that
40:45getting a
40:46unanimous
40:47decision in
40:48the penalty
40:48phase would
40:49be a tall
40:50order.
40:54I remember
40:55sitting there
40:55in the
40:56courtroom
40:56and talking
40:57to my
40:58co-counsel
40:58and telling
41:00her,
41:00we're never
41:00going to get
41:01a death
41:01sentence
41:02with this
41:02new law.
41:04There's
41:04always going
41:05to be
41:05someone who
41:05has
41:06scruples
41:06about the
41:07death penalty.
41:08The old
41:09law was
41:09a simple
41:10majority,
41:11and I
41:11would always
41:12shoot for
41:12unanimous
41:13with the
41:14jurors,
41:14but in
41:15this situation
41:15we had
41:16to have
41:16it.
41:17That's a
41:18tough thing
41:18to ask
41:19someone to
41:19sentence
41:19someone to
41:20death.
41:21We all
41:22felt a
41:22lot of
41:23pressure
41:24and concern
41:24because we
41:25really just
41:26wanted to
41:27get justice
41:28for Felicia
41:28in this
41:29case.
41:30After three
41:31days of
41:32testimony and
41:33argument,
41:34the jury
41:35came back
41:35with a
41:36unanimous
41:37recommendation
41:38that Granville
41:39Ritchie be
41:40sentenced to
41:41death.
41:43It just
41:43knocked me
41:44over.
41:45It really
41:45did.
41:45I was
41:46ecstatic.
41:47I was
41:47relieved.
41:48It was
41:49emotional,
41:49I have to
41:50say.
41:51A year
41:52later,
41:53on September
41:53the 11th,
41:542020,
41:5641-year-old
41:57Granville
41:57Ritchie was
41:58formally
41:59sentenced to
42:00death by a
42:01judge at the
42:02Hillsborough County
42:02Circuit Court.
42:04On December
42:05the 18th of
42:06the same
42:07year,
42:0829-year-old
42:09Ebony Wiley
42:10was in court
42:11to find out
42:12what the
42:12punishment for
42:13her part in
42:14this case
42:14would be.
42:17We had
42:18recommended she
42:18be sentenced
42:19to some time
42:20in the county
42:21jail.
42:21She needed
42:22to pay for
42:23her part of
42:23this.
42:24Her engagement
42:25in this
42:25process of
42:26lies and
42:27manipulations
42:28completely fouled
42:29up the
42:30investigation and
42:30kept us from
42:31having critical
42:32evidence.
42:34I think
42:34Ebony Wiley
42:35was naive.
42:36I think she
42:37fell for the
42:38manipulations of
42:39a monster.
42:40And I think
42:42that looking
42:42back at the
42:44decisions that
42:44she made,
42:45she probably
42:46regrets those
42:46to this day.
42:49Ebony Wiley
42:51was ordered
42:51to spend
42:5275 days
42:53in county
42:54jail.
42:55Felicia's
42:56family believed
42:57the sentence
42:57was far too
42:59lenient.
43:02They thought
43:03that Ebony
43:04should have
43:04got more.
43:05I understand
43:06that.
43:07I totally
43:08understand that.
43:08I probably
43:09would have
43:09felt the
43:09same way.
43:14It's easy
43:15to look at
43:16the situation
43:17and think,
43:17but for
43:18Ebony's
43:18actions,
43:19Felicia would
43:20still be
43:21alive.
43:21And there
43:22is a lot
43:23of truth
43:23in that.
43:25But the
43:26main culpability
43:27lies with
43:27Richie,
43:28who chose
43:29to do
43:30what he
43:31did to
43:32Felicia.
43:34Granville
43:35Richie was
43:36both a
43:37predator
43:37and an
43:38opportunist.
43:39And when
43:39you put
43:40those things
43:40together
43:41with his
43:42psychopathic
43:43traits,
43:43he's an
43:44incredibly
43:45dangerous
43:45individual.
43:48The murder
43:49of nine-year-old
43:50Felicia Williams
43:51is still raw
43:52in the memories
43:53of the people
43:54who work so
43:55hard to get
43:56justice for her
43:58and her
43:59family.
44:01This was a
44:02long, hard
44:03case.
44:06And it
44:07definitely took
44:08its toll on
44:09me personally,
44:10on the other
44:11investigators I
44:12worked with,
44:13on the
44:13prosecution.
44:16My youngest
44:18daughter was
44:19the same age
44:19as Felicia.
44:21I cannot
44:22imagine losing
44:24a child like
44:25that in such
44:26a horrific
44:26way.
44:28I went to
44:29the funeral
44:29for Felicia
44:30and I
44:31looked around
44:31that room
44:32and saw
44:33how many
44:34people she
44:35affected.
44:36That's tough.
44:37It didn't just
44:38affect one
44:39person, it
44:39affected a
44:40whole community.
44:58Cranville Ritchie
44:59not only
45:00raped and
45:00murdered an
45:01innocent nine-year-old
45:02child, he
45:03then discarded
45:04her body like
45:05it was trash.
45:06He manipulated
45:08his young
45:08girlfriend into
45:09covering his
45:10tracks and
45:11the delay
45:11her lies
45:12caused meant
45:13that any
45:14hope the
45:14police had
45:15of finding
45:16critical forensic
45:17evidence was
45:18gone.
45:19Their
45:19circumstantial case
45:21was built
45:21through dogged
45:22detective work,
45:23but in the
45:24end it was
45:25all the jury
45:26needed and
45:27Granville Ritchie
45:28will go down
45:29in history as
45:30one of the
45:31world's most
45:32evil killers.
46:03You
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