Jury selection is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Orange County murder trial of Ralph Hensel, the 57-year-old Winter Garden man accused of fatally shooting 32-year-old ATV rider Ja'Keem Williams outside a Winter Garden apartment complex in February 2025. Hensel has been held without bond since his arrest and could face the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
The shooting happened on Feb. 20, 2025, at the Bay Pointe apartments on Horizon Street, according to Fox 35 Orlando. Police officers found Williams dead beside his ATV on the 1,000-block of Horizon Street, according to WKMG. An affidavit described Hensel taking a gun to confront Williams as he rode on the ATV, shouting and then firing twice as the vehicle drove past, per the Orlando Sentinel.
Surveillance Footage and Witness Accounts
Witnesses told investigators that Hensel walked toward Williams, shouted at him, then fired two shots, per the station's report. Surveillance video reportedly showed Hensel walking from the leasing office carrying a firearm, moving around a nearby building, and appearing to lie in wait before shooting Williams. Investigators said Hensel told witnesses afterward, “I killed him.”
Attorney Ben Crump said Hensel had previously threatened ATV riders at the apartment complex. Hensel told officers he would take matters into his own hands if police did not stop people from riding ATVs there. The shooting stemmed from an ongoing dispute over individuals riding motorcycles inside the apartment complex, according to investigators cited by the same source.
911 Calls Captured the Escalation
The dispute over ATV riding at the complex had generated repeated complaints before the shooting. A 911 call came in to complain about an ATV zooming back and forth in front of the leasing office, and a second call arrived just a minute later reporting shots fired, the Orlando Sentinel reported. A separate account published by Yahoo described seventeen total calls made about the ATV, eleven of them reportedly from a complex employee.
Reports differ on the exact charge Hensel faces. Fox 35 Orlando reported that an Orange County jury indicted Hensel on a first-degree murder charge, while the Yahoo-published account described him as facing second-degree murder charges. WKMG's report ahead of jury selection states that Hensel faces a first-degree murder charge.
What Comes Next
With jury selection underway, the case now moves toward testimony over a shooting that neighbors and investigators have tied to months of tension about ATV riding at Bay Pointe Apartments. Hensel had been held without bond.
