The call came at 5:06 p. m. from Granville Richie’s phone. A child’s voice, barely a sound, a faint noise, then nothing.
The 911 operator tried calling back twice. Each time, it went to voicemail. A police officer was dispatched to the area, but without a specific address, he found no sign of an emergency and left. That brief, silent call was likely the last trace of nine-year-old Felicia “Sugar Plum” Williams, a vibrant little girl who had brought joy to everyone around her.
Felicia was born on December 9th, 2004, in Tampa, Florida, the second youngest of six girls. Her aunt nicknamed her Sugar Plum because of her small, round brown face when she first came home from the hospital. The name stuck with those closest to her. She was a spirited third grader who loved riding her bike, feeding ducks at a nearby pond, and even sweeping floors at a local hair salon to earn pocket money.
She sang in the youth choir at Zion Temple Holiness Church, was a member of the Jackson Heights Viking Cheer Squad, and always had a knock-knock joke ready to make others laugh. In 2013, when her mother had foot surgery, Felicia spent the summer cooking for her and nursing her back to health. One Christmas, she received three bikes, and in a characteristic act of generosity, she gave one to her best friend. On Friday, May 16th, 2014, Felicia called her mother to ask permission to spend time with a family friend named Ebony Alicia Wy.
Ebony, then 23, lived in the same apartment complex and had developed a special bond with the child. They rode bikes together, went to the park, and attended church together. Ebony even called herself Felicia’s godmother. Felicia’s mother said her daughter “adored, cherished, worshiped the ground Ebony walked on.
” Ebony was trusted, so Felicia was allowed to go. It was late that evening before the family heard any alarming news. According to Ebony’s first story, she and a friend named Viven picked Felicia up at 4 p. m.
, stopped for food at Checkers, and then went to an apartment. Ebony claimed she took a shower, and when she got out between 5:30 and 6:00 p. m. , Felicia was gone.
She said she drove around searching for three hours until Viven asked for the car back, and only then did she tell Felicia’s older sister that the girl was missing. But under further questioning, Ebony’s story changed. Viven became a man named Trevor. They had stopped for food, gone to Trevor’s apartment, and Ebony had left for about 35 minutes to buy weed.
When she returned, she couldn’t get into the apartment complex because she didn’t have the gate code, and Trevor wasn’t answering his phone. When she finally reached him, he was in a panic, claiming he had sent Felicia to the local CVS to buy candy and she hadn’t returned. But when Ebony arrived at the CVS, Trevor wasn’t there. When she met him back at the apartment, he was shirtless, sweating, and his white polo shirt was gone.
They sat on the couch, drank Hennessy, and talked about what to do next. Ebony claimed she went into a closet to pray for about ten minutes before they slept together. She also stated that Trevor and his mother had participated in a three-way call to construct the story about Felicia going missing while Ebony was in the shower. Regardless of which version was true, one fact was damning: Ebony did not contact Felicia’s family until approximately 9:30 p.
m. It was the family who called 911 to report her missing. Because of the delayed and conflicting reports, an Amber Alert was never issued, as the case hadn’t met the required criteria. The next day, May 17th, boaters near Clearwater noticed something unusual in the water—the naked body of a young girl, floating near rocks and mangroves north of the Courtney Campbell Causeway.
They swiftly contacted police. That same day, Ebony was arrested for providing false statements to police. She was released on $2,000 bail. On May 18th, police identified the man known as Trevor as Granville Ashante Richie.
Granville, a native of Jamaica, explained that Trevor was his nickname. He had lived in Jamaica until age 18, married a woman named Toadra in 2006, and had a daughter, though he admitted the marriage was strained and he also had a girlfriend named Kalissa Kelly. He had an arrest record dating back to 2007, including charges for sexual assault, aggravated assault, and domestic battery. In February 2014, he had been arrested for possession of ecstasy.
Granville’s version of events differed from Ebony’s. He claimed he and Ebony picked Felicia up at 4 p. m. , went back to his apartment, put on a movie for her, and then went into the bedroom to hook up.
Approximately 45 minutes later, they returned to find Felicia gone, and he noted the front door was unlocked. He said Ebony borrowed his car to search for her, but was unsuccessful. He then drove Ebony home, where she informed Felicia’s family that the girl was missing. He claimed he drove around that night, sometimes alone and sometimes with company he didn’t identify, and later went to his girlfriend’s home in St.
Petersburg. On May 19th, police identified the body found in Tampa Bay as Felicia Williams. Her sister Shaqula described the moment the family found out. Police officers walked up the sidewalk quickly and entered the house.
The chief told her mother, “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we find whoever did this,” and their mother just broke and fell. “From there, that’s when we knew something bad happened. ”
As police investigated, they interviewed residents of Granville’s apartment complex. A 17-year-old girl told them she had engaged in four intimate encounters with Granville that month.
On May 21st, Granville was arrested on charges of having sex with a minor and two drug charges. The next day, he was announced as a suspect in Felicia’s death. A search warrant for his girlfriend’s town home in St. Petersburg failed to find the white polo shirt Granville had been wearing.
On July 10th, 2014, a hearing was held to determine bail. His attorney argued for fair and reasonable bail, noting his client had never been convicted of a crime. However, police presented evidence of Granville’s involvement with the underage girl. He was denied bail and remained in custody.
Finally, on August 15th, 2014, Granville Richie was charged with first-degree murder, capital sexual battery, and aggravated child abuse. Police alleged he had stuffed Felicia’s body into a suitcase before dumping her into Tampa Bay. In 2015, prosecutors announced their intent to seek the death penalty, but the trial was delayed for years due to changes in Florida’s capital punishment laws, which were later revised to require a unanimous jury recommendation for the death penalty. The trial finally began in September 2019.
Granville had been held in the Hillsborough County Jail for the entire five years. During the trial, the true events were revealed. Before picking up Felicia, Ebony had complained to Granville about her, saying the girl had shown up at her workplace and caused trouble, and had been getting into trouble for stealing. Granville suggested they talk to Felicia and offer her guidance.
Though they had met just three days before, Ebony was in love with him and had him listed in her phone as “my husband. ”
On the day in question, they picked Felicia up around 4 p. m. , bought her food at Checkers, and went back to Granville’s apartment.
They lectured Felicia about the dangers of stealing, then put on a DVD for her before heading into the bedroom. Granville gave Ebony ecstasy. At about 4:50 p. m.
, he asked Ebony to go out and buy some weed. Ebony wanted to take Felicia with her, but Granville convinced her to leave the girl behind, since Ebony would have drugs in the car and didn’t have a valid driver’s license. Displaying a startling lack of judgment, Ebony left Felicia alone with a man she barely knew. It took Ebony more than an hour to run her errands.
When she returned, Felicia wasn’t there. Granville, who had been fully dressed when she left, answered the door shirtless and sweaty. He claimed he had given Felicia money to buy candy at a CVS store, and she hadn’t returned. Surveillance cameras showed Ebony looking for Felicia at the CVS, but showed no evidence of Felicia ever being there.
Back at the apartment, they drank alcohol and hooked up on the living room floor. Ebony never looked for Felicia in the apartment. That evening, the two agreed to lie and pretend Felicia had run away. At 9:30 p.
m. , Ebony called Felicia’s house about the disappearance. GPS data revealed that Granville had traveled to the area where Felicia’s body was discovered and remained there for some time. A distinctive mangrove leaf was found lodged in the headlight of the silver Lexus he drove, matching the vegetation from the discovery site.
Sand collected from the passenger side floorboard and the trunk of the car was determined to be consistent with the sand where Felicia was found. The autopsy determined that Felicia had suffered multiple blows to the head, was sexually assaulted, and ultimately strangled to death. In Granville’s apartment, police found a broken suitcase wheel on the rear patio, wheel marks on the carpet leading to the patio, and a broken zipper pull. They found a second suitcase of the same style in his car trunk.
Granville’s defense attorney suggested that Ebony could have been responsible, pointing to her history of mental health struggles and her drug use that day. However, the prosecution’s case was strong. During closing arguments, Assistant State Attorney Scott Harmon presented the pivotal 911 call made at 5:06 p. m.
from Granville’s phone. The state theorized that Felicia had managed to grab his phone and make a desperate call while alone with him. Harmon asked the jurors to consider what they might hear in the brief, faint noise. “It’s only a couple seconds long, but could you hear it?
Could you hear the fear? It’s the fear that comes from the heart and mind of a child. ” He highlighted the testimony of a doctor who explained it would have taken about two minutes of sustained pressure on Felicia’s neck to cause her death. He asked the jurors to reflect on just half that time.
For sixty seconds, the courtroom remained silent. “Think about how deliberate that is. Every second of those minutes is a second that this defendant could have stopped. Every second this defendant could have used mercy.
”
On Wednesday, September 25th, 2019, the jury convicted Granville Richie of the assault and murder of nine-year-old Felicia Williams. They found him guilty on all counts. The same jury then decided his fate. Granville’s attorney argued for his life, citing his abusive childhood in Jamaica, his IQ of 78, possible brain damage from car accidents, and his struggles in school.
But the jury deliberated for just three hours and unanimously agreed, 12 to 0, that he should receive the death penalty. On Friday, September 11th, 2020, Hillsborough Circuit Judge Michelle Cisco agreed. She said the child victim suffered “a horrendous, physically painful, psychologically torturous death. ” To Granville, she said, “There will be no corporal redemption for you.
Your physical being, your person, you will remain incarcerated until the date of your death is scheduled to occur. ” She concluded, “May God have mercy on your soul, Mr. Richie. ”
Felicia’s mother said she felt relieved that it was over after such a long five years.
Her sister Shaqula said, “She was everything. For him to discard her like she was nothing, like no one would ever find her, it hurts. He discarded her like she was trash. He deserves everything that’s coming to him.
” Felicia’s father, Jerome Williams, told Granville he forgave him. “I forgive you, bro. That’s how strong my God is. I come here and smile with no ill will.
You are my brother. You made a mistake. You’ve got time to make right with God. ”
Granville attempted to appeal the sentence, but on June 10th, 2022, the Florida Supreme Court upheld it.
He is currently held at Union Correctional Institution. As for Ebony Wy, she pleaded guilty to lying to police on October 16th, 2020. As part of her plea agreement, prosecutors recommended a sentence of no more than six months in jail, followed by five years of probation. On December 18th, 2020, she was sentenced to 75 days in jail plus five years of probation.
When given time to speak, she said she had been captivated by Granville’s Jamaican accent, his charming demeanor, and his visions of a wealthy future, and was convinced she would marry him one day. She said she was sorry she made a wrong, unthinking decision, and claimed she didn’t deserve jail time because it wasn’t intentional. Judge Samantha Ward was not moved. “You did do it on purpose,” she said.
Ebony insisted, “I didn’t do it on purpose. ” Judge Ward replied, “That’s the wrong answer. ” Ebony was then led away. Felicia’s family was unhappy with the lenient sentence, but they understood it was the trade-off needed to secure her testimony against Granville.
As Shaqula said, “I feel like her sentence was a slap on the wrist. She was the main reason to why we’re here. It’s very unfair, but it’s understandable. It’s how the system works.
” Felicia’s grandmother asked Ebony why she didn’t call 911 when her baby was missing. Felicia’s mother said the six years since felt like six days, and she hoped Ebony would exercise better judgment with her own two children than she did with Felicia. The community honored Felicia’s memory. Around 30 family members and friends gathered at the site where her remains were found, releasing balloons into the sky.
Her funeral was held on May 24th at the Church of God by Faith, with several hundred people in attendance. Her flower-covered casket, engraved with the words “Sugar Plum,” arrived in a white carriage drawn by a single black horse. She was laid to rest at Rest Haven Memorial Park in Tampa. She was remembered as a free spirit with a deep love for animals, talkative, mischievous, kind-hearted, and lovingly referred to as a princess by those who cherished her.
Felicia’s mother, who was also named Felicia, dreams about her daughter often. In the dreams, the little girl takes her mother by the hand and walks with her through their apartment complex. Then they stop at a door, and Felicia says, “I’m only going to walk you up because I don’t think you can handle the rest. ” She said the dreams came so often that she didn’t want to sleep anymore.
In the wake of her loss, Felicia’s mother found solace by joining Circle of Mothers, an organization dedicated to supporting mothers who have lost children to violence. She now speaks at schools, sharing her story and encouraging children to speak up if they feel uncomfortable, unsafe, or troubled by someone’s actions. Her daughter, Sugar Plum, will forever be cherished by her community and loved ones. As her mother lovingly described her, she was mischievous.
She loved people. She loved animals. And she most definitely loved her family.
