Downtown Tampa’s Hillsborough County courthouse is juggling two headline‑grabbing criminal cases Wednesday, with judges, jurors and a packed docket converging on the same building. One case revisits the 2023 killing of Alana Sims, the other traces back to a February 2025 exchange of gunfire between a suspect and Tampa police. Both are expected to draw close public attention as pretrial motions and early hearings get under way.
Two Cases Crowd The Calendar
According to WTSP, both matters were placed on Wednesday’s docket at the Hillsborough courthouse. One case centers on Billy Adams III, accused in the 2023 killing of Alana Sims, while the other involves Matthew Fowler, who faces multiple charges after an alleged gunfire exchange with Tampa officers.
Adams Case: Murder Charge In New Tampa Killing
Billy Adams III is accused in the Jan. 30, 2023 death of 22‑year‑old Alana Sims, who investigators say was found near her SUV in the Easton Park subdivision while her toddler slept inside, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Adams was arrested in February 2023 and faces counts that include first‑degree murder and the killing of an unborn child. National reporting has noted he had been acquitted months earlier in an unrelated double‑murder case, a detail that figures into prosecutors’ narrative going into trial.
Fowler Case: Officers Fired Upon During Follow‑Up
Matthew Fowler, 23, is scheduled to appear on charges including two counts of attempted murder of a law‑enforcement officer and burglary after Tampa police say he fired at officers during a follow‑up investigation at the Azula North Apartments on Feb. 4, 2025, per a City of Tampa news release. The city and local reporting say both officers were unharmed, body‑worn camera footage captured the exchange, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will review the shooting, as described in coverage of the reported gunfire with Tampa police.
What To Expect In Court
Early sessions in both matters are expected to focus on pretrial motions, discovery disputes and scheduling. Complex criminal dockets can stretch for days while attorneys vet evidence and witnesses. Prosecutors are likely to push for admission of surveillance and forensic material, while defense teams may file challenges to that evidence or seek delays. Judges will set timelines for jury selection and for any substantive hearings that follow.
Legal Stakes
The Adams prosecution carries particularly high stakes. Prosecutors have previously signaled they may pursue the most severe penalties if a conviction is obtained, and pretrial filings and reporting have reflected that possibility, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Fowler’s case likewise raises serious exposure, since attempted‑murder counts involving on‑duty officers carry heavy state sentences if proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Reporting for this item draws on local coverage and the city’s release, and WTSP and the City of Tampa release are among the sources used here. Both cases are set to move through initial hearings at the Hillsborough County courthouse today, and the assigned judges will determine the pace of each prosecution as filings and evidence are presented.
