Tampa rapper Billy Adams, known as "Ace NH," wrote to his judge asking to be sentenced to death and to skip any mitigation.

A letter is not a sentence. Under Florida's process, Judge Mark Wolfe still decides between death and life for the unborn child's killing, and WTSP reported the court has not ruled on whether Adams can waive mitigation. Some accounts say the jury recommended Adams be executed without noting the split recommendation. The death recommendation applies only to the count involving the unborn child.

Billy Adams III, 28, a Tampa rapper known as "Ace NH," has asked Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Mark Wolfe to sentence him to death, according to a handwritten letter obtained by WTSP 10 Tampa Bay and reported Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. WTSP reported the letter was filed with the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court on Oct. 12. "I want to waive mitigation at this hearing, and I want to be sentenced to what the jury voted to give me," Adams wrote, according to Gray News, which carried WTSP's reporting. "I don't want my lawyers to present any mitigation or arguments at this hearing," he wrote, adding that his attorneys had explained the consequences, WTSP reported. He also wrote, "I don't have an issue with the death penalty."

In September, a jury found Adams guilty in the killing of 22-year-old Alana Sims and her unborn daughter. FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported jurors deliberated about five hours before returning guilty verdicts on both counts, then voted 8 to 4 the next day to recommend the death penalty for the unborn child's killing and life without parole for Sims' murder. WTSP reported Sims was shot on Jan. 30, 2023, along an unfinished roadway in New Tampa's Easton Park neighborhood, and that her 1-year-old son was found unharmed in a nearby car. Prosecutors argued Adams killed Sims because he believed he was the father of her unborn child, WTSP reported, but testing later showed he was not. FOX 13 reported prosecutors said he lured Sims to the remote area so he could be with his "main" girlfriend. WTSP reported Adams was charged days after he was acquitted in a separate double-murder case.

The case returns to court Dec. 1 for a Spencer hearing, where prosecutors and the defense can present more sentencing evidence before the judge decides, WTSP reported. During the penalty phase, FOX 13 reported, Adams' stepmother and two younger brothers testified that he earned a degree from the University of South Florida and came from a loving home. Adams' request does not mean he will automatically be sentenced to death, and the court has not ruled on the waiver request. Adams has been convicted, so the presumption no longer covers the counts in this case. It remains the rule for anyone who is only accused: All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.