TWO SPRING HILL MEN FEDERALLY INDICTED IN 2018 ARMED ROBBERY AND MURDER OF 23-YEAR-OLD FLORIDA FATHER

TAMPA, FLORIDA — Nearly eight years after a 23-year-old man was beaten and fatally shot while defending himself and his family during an armed home invasion in Hernando County, a federal grand jury has indicted two Spring Hill men in connection with the killing. The indictment follows a renewed investigation that uncovered additional witnesses and evidence, allowing federal authorities to pursue charges arising from the October 16, 2018, robbery and murder.

Arthur Williams, 34, also known as “Snow” and “Art,” and Timothy Colon, 42, both residents of Spring Hill, have been charged with a federal firearms offense resulting in death during a crime of violence. Prosecutors allege that the defendants participated in an armed robbery that resulted in the killing of a man identified in court documents as A.S. Williams faces an additional charge of making materially false statements to federal investigators. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe of the Middle District of Florida announced the indictment on October 8, 2026.

The charges were returned by a federal grand jury in the Tampa Division of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The indictment was filed on October 6, 2026, under case number 8:26-cr-00327-TPB-AEP. Both defendants could face the federal death penalty or a sentence of up to life imprisonment if convicted of the firearm-related murder offense, subject to the applicable federal capital sentencing requirements.

According to the indictment and evidence presented during a detention hearing, the events began at approximately 1:00 a.m. on October 16, 2018, when a group of individuals carried out an armed robbery at a residence in Spring Hill. Inside the home were A.S., his girlfriend, and their infant child.

As the robbery unfolded, A.S. attempted to defend himself and his family. The perpetrators assaulted him, striking him and shooting him during the confrontation. His injuries proved fatal. An autopsy determined that the 23-year-old died from blunt force trauma to the head and gunshot wounds to his lower body.

The circumstances placed an entire household in danger, including an infant who was present when the violence occurred. The killing left a young family without a father and became the subject of a homicide investigation that remained active for years.

A significant development occurred in 2025 during the successful homicide prosecution of Lenard White and Sheldon Robinson. According to the Justice Department, investigators with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) developed additional witnesses and information that had not previously been available.

The new information created opportunities to revisit the 2018 homicide. ATF agents and Hernando County detectives conducted further interviews, obtained and executed additional search warrants, followed new investigative leads, and developed evidence that had not been uncovered during earlier investigative efforts.

The involvement of White and Robinson’s homicide prosecution was significant because it provided investigative opportunities that contributed to the renewed examination of A.S.’s death. The Justice Department identified that prosecution as a turning point but did not establish that the two previously prosecuted individuals were defendants in the newly announced federal case.

The renewed investigation produced allegations concerning events that preceded the home invasion. Federal authorities determined that Colon had allegedly been monitoring A.S. and his girlfriend in preparation for the robbery. Investigators reported that Colon conducted surveillance of the couple’s residence, identified the vehicles they used, and monitored their whereabouts through social media.

That alleged preparation is relevant to the prosecution’s account of a planned robbery rather than a confrontation arising unexpectedly at the residence. The surveillance activities described by investigators suggest that the people targeted were known to those preparing the offense and that information concerning their movements was being gathered before the attack.

The investigation further determined that Colon allegedly recruited several individuals, including Williams, to participate in the robbery. Prosecutors allege that the defendants acted with other participants in carrying out a violent offense that ended in A.S.’s death.

The indictment’s first count charges Williams and Colon under 18 U.S.C. § 924(j)(1), together with the federal aiding-and-abetting statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2. Prosecutors allege that the defendants knowingly possessed a firearm in furtherance of, and used, carried, brandished, and discharged a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

The underlying crime of violence is identified as interference with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1951. The government alleges that the robbery involved actual and threatened force, violence, and fear of injury to persons and property.

Federal prosecutors further allege that A.S. was killed through the use of a firearm during the offense. The indictment characterizes the killing as first-degree murder under 18 U.S.C. § 1111, alleging malice aforethought, premeditated intent, and a death occurring during the perpetration of the robbery.

These allegations carry substantial legal consequences. Section 924(j) addresses deaths caused through the use of a firearm during certain federal crimes of violence or drug trafficking offenses. When the killing constitutes murder as defined by federal law, the statute authorizes severe penalties, including imprisonment for any term of years or for life, or death.

The federal murder allegation is therefore connected to the alleged armed robbery through the firearms statute. The indictment does not charge a separate standalone murder count under Section 1111; that statute supplies the federal definition of murder incorporated into the Section 924(j) charge.

The indictment also contains special findings relating to both Williams and Colon. Those findings allege that the defendants were at least 18 years old when the offense occurred and identify circumstances relevant to potential capital punishment.

Among the allegations are that the defendants intentionally killed A.S., intentionally participated in conduct involving contemplated lethal force, and knowingly engaged in violent conduct creating a grave risk of death. Prosecutors also allege that the offense created a grave risk of death to one or more people beyond the homicide victim.

These special findings concern the legal requirements associated with possible federal capital punishment. Their inclusion does not establish that the defendants have been convicted or that a death sentence has been imposed. Any capital prosecution would require the additional procedures and findings established by federal law.

The presence of A.S.’s girlfriend and infant child provides important factual context for the allegations involving danger to others. The Justice Department’s account places both inside the residence during the armed robbery, although the announcement does not describe separate physical injuries to either individual.

The second count of the indictment applies only to Williams and concerns statements allegedly made during the renewed federal investigation. Prosecutors charge him with violating 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2) by knowingly and willfully making a materially false statement to an ATF special agent.

According to the indictment, Williams told the agent on May 14, 2026, that he had no involvement in the October 2018 robbery and murder and did not know any of the participants. Federal prosecutors allege that those statements were false because Williams had participated in the offenses and knew the individuals involved.

A false-statements prosecution under Section 1001 requires proof of the applicable statutory elements, including material falsity and the required mental state. The offense concerns knowingly and willfully providing materially false information in a matter within federal jurisdiction.

The charge is separate from the firearm-related murder allegation. Williams must be evaluated under the legal elements applicable to each count, while Colon faces the firearm-related murder charge identified in the indictment.

The alleged false statement is particularly relevant to the timeline because it occurred in May 2026, years after the homicide and after the investigative developments reported in 2025. It demonstrates that federal authorities were conducting interviews and examining the involvement of potential participants during the later stages of the investigation.

The indictment also includes forfeiture allegations involving firearms and ammunition associated with the charged firearm offense. Prosecutors seek forfeiture of qualifying weapons and ammunition upon conviction under the applicable federal statutes.

The forfeiture provisions also address circumstances in which property cannot be located, has been transferred, placed outside the court’s jurisdiction, substantially diminished in value, or commingled with other property. Federal law permits substitute-property forfeiture in qualifying circumstances when the relevant requirements are satisfied.

These provisions concern potential property consequences arising from a conviction and do not establish that any particular weapon or amount of ammunition has already been forfeited in this case.

The prosecution illustrates the intersection of federal firearms law, violent robbery statutes, and long-running homicide investigations. Although the killing occurred inside a residential property, the government has charged the offense through the Hobbs Act’s interference-with-commerce framework and the federal statute governing firearm-related deaths.

For the government to obtain convictions, prosecutors must establish the required relationship between the alleged robbery and interstate or foreign commerce, along with the elements of the firearm offense and the defendants’ criminal participation.

The aiding-and-abetting charge is relevant because federal law permits criminal responsibility to extend to individuals who intentionally assist in the commission of an offense when the necessary legal elements are proven. The government must establish each defendant’s participation and culpability through evidence rather than relying solely on an alleged association with other individuals involved in the crime.

The investigative developments also demonstrate the importance of maintaining unresolved homicide investigations when additional evidence may become available. Witnesses who were previously unidentified or unavailable may eventually provide information that changes the direction of an investigation. Evidence developed during separate prosecutions can also lead investigators to examine connections that were not established during earlier inquiries.

The renewed investigative effort was conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the State Attorney’s Office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit in Hernando County.

Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes is prosecuting the case. The indictment also identifies Assistant United States Attorney James C. Preston Jr., Chief of the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, among the federal prosecutors associated with the charging document.

The potential penalties reflect the gravity of the charged firearm-related murder offense. Whether either defendant ultimately faces a death sentence or imprisonment will depend on the applicable federal proceedings, evidence, and judicial determinations.

Arthur Williams and Timothy Colon remain presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The indictment advances the prosecution of a 2018 homicide but does not establish their criminal responsibility. That determination belongs to the court under the requirements of federal law.

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United States Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Federal Grand Jury Indictment, United States v. Arthur Williams and Timothy Colon, Case No. 8:26-cr-00327-TPB-AEP, filed October 6, 2026, U.S. District Court, Tampa Division. (Free Download)

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