The Brief
- Ralph Hensel was sentenced to life without parole for fatally shooting his neighbor, Ja’Keem Williams, over ATV noise in Winter Garden.
- Williams’ family delivered emotional statements during an unusually heated sentencing hearing.
- Hensel pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after initially facing a first-degree murder charge.
ORLANDO, Fla. – A man who shot and killed his neighbor during an argument over ATV noise in Winter Garden will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ralph Hensel, who was 57 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the February 2025 killing of 32-year-old Ja’Keem Williams. A judge handed down the life sentence Tuesday.
Father of three
The backstory:
Prosecutors said Hensel became upset about people riding ATVs through a grassy area at their apartment complex. Surveillance video presented in court showed Hensel retrieving a gun, walking across the courtyard and waiting for Williams to arrive, according to the prosecution.…