Winter Garden man pleads guilty to killing ATV rider

Ralph Hensel, 57, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a firearm in Orange County court on Monday. The plea resolves the case involving the fatal shooting of Ja’Keem DeShun Williams, 32, outside a Winter Garden apartment complex.

Hensel was originally charged with first-degree murder in connection with Williams' death in February 2025. Prosecutors agreed to allow the defendant to plead to the lesser charge, avoiding a trial on the more serious count.

During the court proceeding, Hensel stated that his legal counsel described the situation as a “no-win situation.” The state attorney’s office confirmed that the victim’s family agrees with the resolution of the case.

Police reports indicate that officers found Williams dead next to his ATV on the 1,000-block of Horizon Street. Witnesses reported that Hensel walked toward Williams and shouted at him before firing two shots. Surveillance footage captured Hensel leaving the leasing office area with a gun, moving around a nearby building, and lying in wait before shooting Williams as the victim rode past.

Investigators noted that Hensel told witnesses, “I killed him,” after the incident. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Hensel had previously threatened ATV riders at the complex. Crump stated that neighbors reported Hensel tried to intimidate residents from riding their ATVs in the lot next to the apartments and threatened to “handle it” if police did not intervene. Crump said Hensel waited for Williams, shot him in cold blood, and then returned to the apartment office to wait with an acquaintance.

Sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday. Hensel faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a minimum of 25 years, along with a $15,000 fine.