Ralph Hensel Sentenced to Life for Winter Garden Shooting

Ralph Hensel will spend the remainder of his life in Florida state prison without the possibility of parole for the 2025 killing of his neighbor.

The incident began with a dispute over all-terrain vehicles in a grassy courtyard at a Winter Garden apartment complex. Prosecutors presented surveillance video showing Hensel retrieving a firearm and waiting for Ja’Keem Williams to arrive. When Williams stopped nearby, Hensel shot him twice in the back of the head. Williams was 32 years old at the time of the shooting.

Hensel, who was 57 when the shooting occurred, was initially charged with first-degree murder after a grand jury found the killing premeditated. He later changed his plea to second-degree murder. The judge issued the life sentence on Tuesday, November 10.

Williams leaves behind three children who were 7, 6, and 2 years old at the sentencing hearing. His youngest child was 11 months old when their father died. Brianna Hernandez, the mother of the children, addressed the court during the proceedings.

“They have been sentenced to a lifetime without him, so why should the person responsible for taking his life be given the opportunity for freedom,” Hernandez said. Williams’ mother, Keisha Roll-McNeal, also spoke to the court. “Every hug, every kiss, every time he would be able to tuck his children into bed, you took that from him,” Roll-McNeal said.

Hensel requested a 25-year sentence during the hearing. He told the judge that being in jail had been a comfort to him. State prosecutor Frank George responded to these remarks by urging the judge to send Hensel to prison.

Hensel’s family has filed a separate lawsuit against the apartment complex and its manager. They are seeking to determine if the complex shares responsibility for the circumstances surrounding Williams’ death.