The father of a Florida teen maintains that his son is a victim of circumstance and coercion, despite the grand jury indictment for first-degree premeditated murder.
Shaun Blevins spoke with the Pensacola News Journal, saying his son, Kimahri Blevins, 14, is more of “a nerd, first and foremost,” and that it was “not within his character” to commit murder.
Kimahri Blevins, along, Gabriel Williams, 16, were indicted on December 19. As CrimeOnline previously reported, their arrests were in connection with the death of Danika Troy, a 14-year-old Pace girl whose body was found earlier this month.
Police said the defendants lured Danika into a wooded area on November 30, where they shot her, doused her body with gasoline, and set her on fire.
Blevins believes his son was not as complicit in the crime as law enforcement believes, due to a developmental learning disorder that places his mental acuity at that of a 12-year-old child. Kimahri was “oblivious” to situations and was a “late bloomer,” his father claimed.
Kimahri Blevins was enrolled at High Road School of Santa Rosa, an institution for students with specialized academic, emotional, and behavioral requirements.
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A witness reportedly claimed Blevins and Williams plotted the murder and that Blevins said that “the initial plan was to shoot Danika once, but Gabriel continued to shoot. They then burned Danika’s body and left the area.”
“It’s possible Kimahri had a gun to his head being told to help.” his father claimed. “He would not have knowingly done that.”
“Kimahri’s not going to kill a girl. He’s the type of kid to stand up for someone else. That’s the type of kid he is.”
“He’s my son, and I’ll still be right there with him. I wish Daddy could save him.”
Meanwhile, NBC15 reported that on December 22, Kimahri Blevins appeared in court for a motion for pretrial detention, which was denied.
The deciding judge, Matt Gordon, approved the state’s request to continue holding Blevins in the Santa Rosa County, deeming him a potential threat to the community.
Blevins’ next scheduled court appearance, according to court records, is February 3, Pensacola New Journal reported.
Williams is also being held at the Santa Rosa County Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned on January 8, according to NBC15.
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[Feature Photo: Danika Troy/GoFundMe]
