Arthur Williams and Timothy Colon have been charged in connection with the October 16, 2018, home-invasion killing of 22-year-old Alek Smith, a Spring Hill father who was beaten and fatally shot after confronting armed intruders inside his family's home. The arrests, announced this week, cap an eight-year investigation that stalled for years before a break came from an unrelated case in 2025.
According to FOX 13 News, multiple armed men forced their way into a home on Legend Street in Spring Hill around 1 a.m. while Smith's fiancée and young daughter slept in nearby rooms. Smith confronted the intruders to defend his family, and the outlet reports that the men beat him repeatedly before Colon shot him. He died from what investigators describe as fatal blunt-force trauma to his head combined with gunshot trauma.
Hernando County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived at the scene within minutes in 2018 and gathered forensics, photographs and witness interviews, but the case lacked sufficient evidence to file charges at the time, per the same report. Detectives kept working the file in the years that followed; Hernando Sun reported in 2021 that detectives had been working the case since it occurred, as investigators continued to seek tips from the public.
A Break From an Unrelated 2025 Case
The cold case finally moved forward after reluctant witnesses came forward during a separate federal law enforcement investigation in 2025, the station's report notes. That investigation was conducted jointly by the ATF, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office. New testimony and additional search warrants allowed investigators to show that Colon had planned the robbery himself.
Investigators allege Colon tracked Smith's movements using social media and recruited others to help carry out the robbery, which targeted marijuana and drug proceeds belonging to Smith. Federal and state agents worked together for eight years to develop the case before charges were ultimately filed.
Federal Charges and Possible Penalties
Williams and Colon were indicted on federal charges alleging they used a firearm during a crime of violence that resulted in Smith's premeditated murder, the report states. A Justice Department statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida identifies the federal grand-jury charge as discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, specifically the murder of A.S. Under the statute cited in the case, 18 U.S.C. § 924 allows for punishment by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life, and the report describes the pair as facing a maximum penalty of life in federal prison or the death penalty.
Colon was taken into custody on Wednesday, while Williams remains held at the Hernando County Jail on unrelated state charges, pending transfer to federal custody for his initial appearance. The report adds that Williams is also known by the nicknames “Snow” and “Art.” Both men reportedly have prior law enforcement involvement tied to serious offenses, including human trafficking.
Officials Vow to Pursue More Cold Cases
U.S. Attorney Greg Kehoe announced the arrests alongside Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis and ATF Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard. Kehoe said law enforcement will continue to pursue stale homicide cases, according to the report. Officials suspect the defendants may be connected to other crimes across Hernando County, and federal agencies say they continue to investigate potential co-conspirators who have not yet been identified.
Federal and local officials are urging anyone with additional information to contact the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. For a family that waited eight years for answers, the arrests mark the first concrete step toward accountability in a killing that upended a young father's life in front of the people he was trying to protect.
