The Misery Machine - The Case of Felecia Williams
Episode Date: May 29, 2025This week, Drewby and Yergy head down to Tampa, Florida, to discuss the case of 9-year-old Felecia Nicole Williams. Felecia was a beautiful little girl who had her whole life ahead of her. Nicknamed &...quot;Sugar Plum," Felecia was a third grader at Edison Elementary School, an active member of Zion Temple Holiness Church (where she sang in the choir), and a member of the Jackson Heights Viking Cheer Squad. But all of this was shattered when her godmother, 23-year-old Eboni Alicia Wiley, delivered her into the hands of a known predator... her boyfriend, Granville "Trevor" Ritchie.Support Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachineJoin Our Facebook Group: https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1Discord: https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM#themiserymachine #podcast #truecrimeSource Material:https://www.youtube.com/@10TampaBay/search?query=ritchie https://pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com/OffenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=T85161&TypeSearch=AIhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/215470785/felecia-nicole-williamshttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/15/9-year-old-dead/14133193/https://www.the-sun.com/news/1460210/pedo-granville-ritchie-death-raping-strangling-girl-suitcase/amphttps://wflanews.iheart.com/alternate/amp/2019-09-19-physical-evidence-vs-blame-game-in-granville-ritchie-case/https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2019/09/25/jury-deliberates-murder-charge-against-granville-ritchie-in-death-of-girl-9/?outputType=amphttps://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/grief-counselors-to-help-edison-elementary-classmates-teachers-of/2180428/?outputType=amphttps://www.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2020/09/11/granville-ritchie-who-murdered-9-year-old-tampa-girl-sentenced-to-death-by-judge/?outputType=amphttps://people.com/crime/man-murdered-9-year-old-girl-who-loved-animals-after-babysitter-left-her-with-him/https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/crime/granville-ritchie-sentenced-to-death-in-the-murder-rape-of-a-9-year-old-girl/67-3b45fbaf-0083-461d-a2c9-e79fd45e3718https://www.fox13news.com/news/granville-ritchie-sentenced-to-death-for-2014-rape-murder-of-9-year-old-felecia-williams.amphttps://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/granville-ritchie-sentenced-to-death-for-rape-and-murder-of-9-year-old-felecia-williams?_amp=truehttps://www.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2020/12/18/six-years-later-75-days-in-jail-for-lies-about-tampa-girls-disappearance/?outputType=amphttps://www.newspapers.com/article/south-florida-sun-sentinel-a-12-0-decisi/162269166/?xid=637https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-fla-supreme-court-uphol/162269030/?xid=637https://www.newspapers.com/image/602434635/https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-star-witness-pleads-guil/162268164/?xid=637https://www.newspapers.com/image/575322960/?clipping_id=162263462https://www.newspapers.com/image/603853697/?clipping_id=162266570https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-details-emerge-on-woman/162262438/?xid=637 https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-trial-date-set-in-2014-d/162263897/?xid=637https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-trial-date-set-in-2014-d/162264312/?xid=637https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-new-details-about-suspec/163845300/?xid=637https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-new-details-about-suspec/163845406/?xid=637https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-woman-moves-a-juror-to-t/162267195/?xid=637https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-jury-death-for-ritchie/162267440/?xid=637https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-seeking-justice-to-ease/162263653/?xid=637https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-jury-set-on-fourth-day-o/162265440/?xid=637https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-ritchies-ex-girlfriend/162266058/?xid=637https://morbidology.com/morbidology-the-podcast-119-felecia-williams/ https://www.itsthemysteryforme.com/episodes/felecia-williamshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGmyGLWAh60
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Felicia Nicole Williams was born on December 9th, 2004
at University Community Hospital in Tampa, Florida.
At the time of her birth, she weighed eight pounds and one ounce.
She was born to mother Felicia Nicole Demerson and father Jerome Williams.
Felicia was the second youngest of six girls.
Her aunt called Felicia Sugarplum because she had a little brown, round face
when she arrived home from the hospital.
The name's stockin. That's what those closest to her called her. Felicia's sister Shaquilla Given said,
You guys know her as Felicia. We knew her as sugar plum. She was amazing. Felicia was a vibrant,
loving, and spirited young girl who brought joy to everyone around her. Her sister described her
as caring, funny, and full of life. Felicia loved riding her bike and often spent peaceful moments
feeding ducks at a nearby pond.
On some days, she would visit a local hair salon, sweeping floors, and taking out the trash
to earn a little pocket money.
Felicia lived with her family in East Tampa.
She was a third grader at Edison Elementary School.
Her family were active members of the Zion Temple Holiness Church where Felicia sang in the
youth choir and was said to brighten services with her enthusiasm.
Her exuberance and energy were further expressed as a member of the Jackson Heights Viking
Cheer Squad.
Friends recalled how much.
Felicia enjoyed games like hide-and-seeking tag and how she always had a knock-knock joke ready to make
others laugh.
Felicia's kind personality shone through not only in her daily activities, but also in the way
she cared for her family and shared her joy with others.
In 2013, Felicia's mother had foot surgery and Felicia spent the summer cooking for her
and nursing her back to health.
On Christmas, she received three bikes, two from charity bids and one from her father.
Generous by nature, she gave one of the bikes to her best friend.
She was described as having a zest for life and a heart full of kindness.
Alicia loved the outdoors, good food, and anything Hello Kitty.
It was an energetic and helpful child whose warm spirit touched everyone she met.
Felicia was considered responsible for her age and always asked her mom for permission if she wanted to go somewhere.
On Friday, May 16, 2014, she called her mother to ask if she could spend some time with a family friend named Ebony Alicia Wiley.
Ebony, then 23 years old, lived in the same apartment.
apartment complex and had gotten to know the family well. She and Felicia had a special bond.
They rode bicycles together, went to the park, and attended church together. Ebony even called
herself Felicia's godmother. Felicia's mother said, my daughter really adored, cherished,
worship the ground Ebony walked on. Ebony was trusted and Felicia was allowed to go with her,
but it was late in the day before Ebony told the family an alarming story. Felicia was missing.
Ebony became a key figure in the investigation, and she provided the police with an account of the events leading up to Felicia's disappearance.
According to Ebony, she and a friend named Vivian picked Felicia up at 4 p.m.
They stopped for food at checkers, after which Vivian dropped them off at an apartment.
Ebony claimed she took a shower, and then by the time she got out between 5.30 and 6 p.m., Felicia was gone.
Ebony borrowed Vivian's car and drove around searching for Felicia for three hours until Vivian
asked for her car back. It was then that Ebony informed Felicia's older sister that she was missing.
But after further questioning, Ebony started changing her story. Vivian now became a man named Trevor.
Ebony and Trevor picked up Felicia at 4 p.m. according to her. Ebene said Trevor was wearing a
white polo shirt with a floral pattern on the breast pocket. The group stopped for food at Checkers
before heading to Trevor's apartment.
Trevor then asked Ebony to purchase weed.
Ebony claimed she left for about 35 minutes,
but when she returned, she couldn't get into the apartment complex.
She didn't have the gate code, and Trevor wasn't answering his phone.
When she finally reached him, he was in a panic.
He claimed he had sent Felicia to the local CVS to buy some candy and hadn't returned.
He asked Ebony to meet him at the CVS so they could keep looking for her.
However, when Ebony arrived at the CVS...
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test performance does not guarantee future results. Trevor wasn't there. She called him. He said he was
already back at the apartment. When Ebony met him at the apartment, Trevor was in a strange state.
His white polo shirt was gone. He was shirtless and sweating. They sat on the couch, drank Hennessy,
and presumably talked about what to do next. Ebony claimed she went into a closet to pray for about
10 minutes before she and Trevor slept together. Afterwards, Trevor put his shirt back on and drove
Ebony home. Ebony also added that Trevor and his mother, Gloria Gibson, participated in a
three-way call to construct the story about Felicia going missing while Ebony was in the shower.
Now, regardless of which version of Ebony's story was reality, this much was true.
Ebony didn't contact Felicia's family about her disappearance until approximately 9.30 p.m.
She spoke with one of Felicia's sisters who then called their mother.
It was Felicia's family, not Ebony, who contacted 911 to report her missing.
Tragically, Ebony's misinformation prevented an Amber alert from being issued,
as her case hadn't met the required criteria.
The next day, May 17th, voters in Clearwater near Tampa noticed something unusual in the water.
Upon closer inspection, they saw that it was the body of a young girl,
naked and floating near rocks and mangroves north of the Courtney Campbell Causeway.
They swiftly contacted the police.
That same day, Ebony was arrested for provoked.
providing false statements to the police.
She was able to get released on $2,000 bail later that day.
On May 18, two days after Felicia's disappearance,
police identified the man known as Trevor
as Granville Ashante Richie.
Naturally, they sought to speak with him
to hear his version of the events.
Now, Granville, who is a native of Jamaica,
explained that Trevor was his nickname
and that Granville Richie was his government name, as he put it.
He had lived in Jamaica until the age of 18.
In 2006, he married Todra Richie, with whom he had a daughter.
However, he admitted that his marriage was strained.
Complicating matters further, he had a girlfriend at the time named Colissa Kelly.
By 2014, Granville had been living in the United States for eight years and claimed to work on cell phone towers.
Granville was known to police.
He had an arrest record going back to 2007 and was charged with SA, aggravated assault, and domestic battery in 2013.
That same year, his wife Todra filed an injunction for protection against him.
February of 2014, he was arrested again for possession of ecstasy,
but right now, police were just interested in what happened to Felicia Williams.
According to Granville, he and Ebony picked Felicia up at 4 p.m.
Upon returning to his apartment, they put on a movie for Felicia while they went into the bedroom to hook up.
Approximately 45 minutes later, they returned to the living room and found that Felicia was gone.
Granville noted that the front door was unlocked.
Claim that Ebony borrowed his car to search for Felicia, but that she was unsuccessful in finding her.
Afterwards, Granville drove Ebony home, at which point she informed Felicia's family that the young girl was missing.
Granville further stated that he drove to visit a friend. However, when the friend wasn't home, he claimed to have left.
Later, Ebony reportedly returned to Granville's apartment with her brother to find out his apartment number so that she could provide it to the police.
Around midnight, Granville claimed he drove to St. Petersburg to visit his girlfriend, Callissa Kelly.
He also mentioned that he spent part of the night driving around, sometimes alone, and sometimes he wasn't alone, though he didn't say who was with him.
The following morning, he and Colissa left her home together.
Now, having gotten Granville's story, police went about learning what more that they could.
On May 19th, crime stoppers offered a reward of $3,000 for information about Felicia, but sadly, later that day, police identified the body found in Tampa Bay as that of Felicia's sugar plum,
Alicia's sister, Shaquilla, described the moment her family found out about her sister's death.
She said, we was all at my mom's house, the chief of police, and also a few detectives and police officers.
They all started walking up the sidewalk really fast.
And once he walked in the house, he spoke to my mom.
He said, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure we find whoever did this.
And my mom just broke and fell.
From there, that's when we knew something bad happened.
At this point, police were aware of.
of multiple versions of what happened, which one was true, and what really happened to Felicia.
To learn more, officers interviewed residents of Granville's apartment complex. One person they talked to
was a 17-year-old girl. She told the police that she and Granville had had four intimate encounters
just this prior month. Based on that information on May 21st, Granville was arrested and placed
in custody on charges of having sex with the minor in addition to two days.
drug charges. The next day, police announced that he was a suspect in Felicia's death.
One week after Felicia's death, police obtained a search warrant for Granville's girlfriend
Kalisa Kelly's townhome in St. Petersburg. They were specifically looking for the white
polo shirt Granville was wearing the day Felicia went missing, but they didn't find it.
By June 15th, there was a combined reward of $13,000 through crime stoppers, but no one had yet
been charged with Felicia's murder. On July 10th, 25th,
a hearing was held to determine how much longer Granville would need to remain behind bars.
His attorney argued that he should be granted a fair and reasonable bail because he had never
been convicted of a crime and fully cooperated with police.
Now, you may be wondering, well, what about those charges that he was charged with earlier?
Well, since that time, those charges were all dropped, unfortunately.
However, police presented evidence that Granville had been involved with the 17-year-old they talked
with earlier.
As the girl was underage, this was against the law.
Granville was denied bail and remained in custody.
Police worked diligently on Felicia's case, but it was some time before the case advanced further.
But finally, on August 15th, 2014, Granville Trevor Ritchie was charged with a first-degree murder of Felicia Williams.
It was also charged with capital sexual battery and aggravated CA.
Police alleged that Granville stuffed Felicia's body into a suitcase, where he dumped her in her.
Tampa Bay. In 2015, prosecutors announced their intent to seek the death penalty against Granville.
However, this decision delayed the trial due to a ruling by the Florida Supreme Court. In 2016,
the court declared Florida's death penalty law unconstitutional because it did not require
juries to unanimously recommend the death penalty. As a result, all death penalty cases in Florida,
including Granvilles, were put on hold for several years. Finally,
Florida changed their legal procedures to require a unanimous recommendation in death penalty cases.
Fast forward years later, June 19, 2019, the trial was again delayed.
Both the prosecution and defense argued that they wouldn't be ready for trial.
The judge reluctantly agreed to postpone.
Finally, Granville's case began in September of 2019.
He had been held in the Hillsborough County Jail for the entire five years.
The jury was seated on September 20,
12th, 2009, and consisted of seven women, five men, and three alternates.
Ebony was a witness for the prosecution.
As the trial unfolded, the true events were finally revealed.
Before picking up Felicia on the day in question, Ebony had complained to Granville
about her.
Ebony, who worked as a housekeeper at Whispering Oak's nursing home, mentioned that Felicia
had shown up at her workplace and caused trouble for her.
She also expressed concern that Felicia had been getting into trouble.
for stealing. In response, Granville suggested that they talked to Felicia and offer her some guidance.
Though Granville and Ebony had met just three days before, Ebony was in love and thought that she was
going to be with him forever. In fact, Ebony had him listed on her phone as My Husband.
It was about 4 p.m. Eastern time when they picked Felicia up. They bought Felicia some food at a local
checkers restaurant on the way back to Granville's apartment. At the apartment, they left. They left,
lectured Felicia about the dangers of stealing. When they were done, they put on a DVD for her
before heading into the bedroom. Granville also gave Ebony ecstasy. At about 4.50 p.m., Granville asked
Ebony to go out and buy some weed. Ebony was going to take Felicia with her, but Granville
convinced her to let Felicia stay back since Ebony would have drugs in the car and she didn't have a valid
driver's license. Ebony, displaying a startling lack of good judgment, left Felicia alone with a man
she barely knew. It took Ebony more than an hour to run her errands. When she returned, Felicia wasn't
there. Ranville, who had been fully dressed in wearing a white polo when she left, answered the door
shirtless and sweaty. He claimed he had given Felicia money to buy candy at a local CVS store,
and she hadn't returned. Surveillance cameras showed Ebony looking for Felicia at the CVS,
but showed no evidence of Felicia ever being there. Back at the apartment, they'd
drank alcohol and the two hooked up on the living room floor. Ebony never looked for Felicia in the
apartment. That evening, the two agreed to lie and pretend Felicia had run away. At 9.30 p.m.,
Ebony called Felicia's house about her disappearance. It was revealed through GPS data that
Granville traveled to the area where Felicia's body was discovered and remained there for some time.
In addition, a distinctive mangrove leaf was found lodged in the headlight of the silver Lexus he drove.
The leaf matched the vegetation from the area where Felicia's body was discovered.
Additionally, sand collection...
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From the passenger side floorboard in the line of the car's trunk was determined by an expert to be consistent with the sand in the location where Felicia was found.
The autopsy determined that Felicia had suffered multiple blows to the head, was assayed, and ultimately strangled to death.
While searching Granville's apartment, police reported discovering a broken suitcase wheel on the rear patio,
wheel marks on the carpet leading to the patio, and a broken.
broken zipper pull from the suitcase. Although investigators did not locate the luggage they believed
Felicia was placed in, they found a second suitcase of the same style in Granville's car trunk.
Additionally, witnesses informed police that Granville owned two similar suitcases in different sizes.
They also noted that the apartment seemed to have been recently cleaned.
Granville's defense attorney suggested that Ebony could have been responsible for the murder.
The attorney pointed out that Ebony had a history of mental health struggles, including a previous
incident involving ecstasy and was under the influence of the drug on the day of Felicia's death.
Furthermore, no DNA evidence was found in Granville's car, nor were there any signs of a struggle.
However, despite these arguments, the strength of the prosecution's case made it a significant
challenge for the defense to counter.
During closing arguments, Hillsborough Assistant State Attorney Scott Harmon presented a brief but
pivotal piece of evidence. At 506 p.m., someone made a short 911 call from Granville's phone.
The 911 operator tried calling the number back twice, and each time it went to voicemail.
Police officers were dispatched to the area, but they did not know who had placed the call,
and they didn't know the exact address, and were not able to ascertain why the call had been
placed. The state theorized that Felicia managed to grab Granville's phone and make the call
on that fateful day.
As the operator listened,
there was nothing but a faint noise
before someone abruptly disconnected.
Addressing the jury,
Attorney Harmon posed a powerful question.
It's only a couple seconds long,
but could you hear it?
Could you hear the fear?
It's the fear that comes from the heart and mind of a child.
The call holds importance
because it was made around the same time
Ebony's grandfather and a friend testified
they were assisting her in purchasing weed.
The state theorized that Felicia must
have made the call during the period she was alone with Granville Richie. A police officer was
dispatched the vicinity of the Doral Oaks apartment complex to investigate, but lacked a specific
address for the call. After finding no apparent signs of an emergency, the officer departed the area.
Prosecutors asserted that it was during this time that Granville assaulted and killed Felicia.
They further suggested that he hid Felicia's body in a suitcase and later that night drove to the
Courtney Campbell Causeway, where he discarded her naked body in the bay.
Attorney Harmon highlighted the testimony of a doctor who explained that it would have taken
approximately two minutes of sustained pressure on Fleece's neck to cause her death.
He asked the jurors to reflect on just half that time.
For 60 seconds, the courtroom remained silent.
Some jurors closed their eyes.
It said, think about how deliberate that is.
Every second of those minutes is a second that this defendant could have stopped.
Second, this defendant could have used mercy.
The trial lasted one week.
On Wednesday, September 25th, 2019,
the jury convicted Granville Ritchie of the essay and murder of 9-year-old Felicia Williams.
He was found guilty on all counts.
The same jury would then decide if he would spend the rest of his life in prison or be sentenced to death.
Granville's attorney, Bjorn Brunvin, tried to save his client's life.
He argued that Granville had grown up in a...
and violent environment in his home country of Jamaica.
Psychologists who examined Granville in jail
estimated his IQ at 78, well below average.
The defense also claimed that Granville had difficulty
completing complex tasks due to possible brain damage
suffered during car accidents.
Granville also struggled academically,
being the ninth grade before eventually dropping out in the 10th.
He was raised in a poverty-stricken neighborhood
marked by crime and violence,
and he endured physical violence from his father
who had 18 children with multiple mothers.
The jury was left to waive the arguments for and against the death penalty.
They deliberated for just three hours.
In the end, they unanimously agreed at 12 to 0
that Granville Richie should receive the death penalty.
Friday, September 11th, 2020,
Hillsborough Circuit Judge Michelle Sisko agreed.
She said,
the child victim suffered a horrendous, physically painful,
psychologically torturous death.
To Granville, she said,
there will be no corporal redemption for you.
Your physical being, your person,
you will remain incarcerated
until the date of your death is scheduled to occur.
Judge Sisko concluded the sentencing with,
May God have mercy on your soul, Mr. Richie.
Belich's mother reacted saying,
I'm feeling very relieved that this is over
because this has been a long time coming.
It's been a long five years.
and just how long our family, the community, and everyone that my daughter touch has been waiting on this justice.
Her sister, Shaquila, added, she was everything.
For him to discard her like she was nothing, like no one would ever find her, it hurts.
He discard her like she was trash.
He deserves it.
He deserves everything that's coming to him.
Felicia's father Jerome Williams told Granville he forgave him. He said,
I forgive you, bro. That's how strong my God is. I come here and smile with no ill will.
You are my brother. You made a mistake. You've got time to make right with God.
Granville attempted to appeal the sentence. However, on Friday, June 10, 2022, the Florida Supreme Court
upheld his sentence. He's currently being held at Union Correctional Institution in Rayford, Florida.
Felicia's death had a chilling effect on her neighborhood.
Keanu Scott, resident of Felicia's neighborhood of Doral Oaks,
said that usually the area is full of kids playing.
But in recent days, even in the summer, it's been quiet outside.
She said, it's sad that you can't just let your kids go outside and play.
Now, the resident, Christina Talley, agreed.
She was keeping her three children inside.
She also said that she's double-locking the door.
And what happened to Ebony Wiley?
On October 16, 2020, Ebony pled guilty to lying to police during the investigation of Felicia's disappearance.
Ebony was not promised leniency in return for her testimony in Granville's trial.
But as part of her plea agreement, prosecutors committed to recommending a sentence of no more than six months in jail,
followed by five years of probation.
Two months later, on Friday, December 18, 2020, Ebony was sentenced for a lying to police.
She was given 75 days in jail plus five years of probation.
When she was given time to speak, she spoke of being captivated by Granville's Jamaican accent,
his charming demeanor, and his visions of a wealthy future.
She was convinced that she would marry him one day.
She said, I'm sorry I made a wrong decision, a not-thinking decision.
I am so embarrassed and heartbroken.
She claimed she didn't deserve jail time.
Hillsborough Circuit Judge Samantha Ward asked why.
Ebony said,
Because it wasn't intentional.
Judge Ward asked, it wasn't intentional to tell a lie.
Ebony replied,
I didn't do it on purpose.
But Judge Ward was not moved.
She said, you did do it on purpose.
Ebony said, I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I don't deserve jail time.
I'm sorry.
I don't deserve it.
Judge Ward replied, that's the wrong answer.
Ebony was then led away to begin her sentence.
Felicia's family was not happy with the length of Ebony's sentence,
but they too understood the trade-offs law enforcement needed to make.
Without Ebony's cooperation in Granville's trial,
he might have gotten away with murder.
Alicia's sister Shaquilla said,
I feel like her sentence was a slap on the wrist.
She was the main reason to why we're here.
It's very unfair, but it's understandable.
It's how the system works.
It's definitely an experience no one should have to go through.
It just makes you more aware of everyone's intentions when they come around your children.
It makes you more aware because you just never know.
You never know.
During Ebony's hearing, Felicia's grandmother, Brenda Johnson, asked,
You didn't call 911.
Why didn't you call 911 when my baby was missing?
Felicia's mother, Felicia Demerson said,
even though it has been six years, feels like six days.
Ebony has two children of her own,
and we can only hope she exercises better,
judgment with them than she did with Felicia.
Felicia's loss left a profound impact on the community.
The day after her body was identified, around 30 family members and friends gathered at
the site where her remains were found, offering prayers before releasing balloons into the sky.
As a note, the misery machine does not support balloon releases due to their impact on animals
and the environment. A week later, the community came together once more to celebrate her life.
loved one sang and prayed at her wake
and her funeral was held on Saturday, May 24th,
at the Church of God by Faith.
Several hundred people attended to honor the little girl with a big heart.
Her flower-covered casket, engraved with the words,
sugar plum, a ride at the church in a white carriage
drawn by a single black horse,
listening under the sunlight as a final tribute to her memory.
She was laid to rest at Rest Haven Memorial Park
in her hometown of Tampa.
At her memorial service, Felicia was remembered as a free spirit with a deep love for animals and someone who could light up any room with her laughter.
She was described as talkative, mischievous, kind-hearted, and lovingly referred to as princess by those who cherished her.
Felicia's mother, who is also named Felicia, dreams about her daughter often.
In the dreams, the little girl takes her mother by the hand, and they walk together through their apartment complex.
Then they stop at a door and Felicia says,
I'm only going to walk you up
because I don't think you can handle the rest.
She said the dreams came so often
she didn't want to sleep anymore.
In the wake of her loss,
Felicia Demerson found solace and purpose
by joining Circle of Mothers,
an organization dedicated to supporting mothers
who have lost children to violence.
Drawing strength from her own experience,
she now speaks at schools,
sharing her story and encouraging children
to speak up if they feel uncomfortable,
unsafe, or troubled by someone's actions.
Her daughter's sugarplum will forever be cherished
by her community and loved ones.
As her mother lovingly described her,
she was mischievous.
She loved people.
She loved animals.
And she most definitely loved her family.
