Another arrest made in death of 16-year-old during alleged phone theft

Curtis Fulcher taken into custody

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Another person was arrested Friday in connection with the death of a 16-year-old over the theft of an iPhone X back in January, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities took into custody 41-year-old Curtis Fulcher for his alleged involvement in the death of 16-year-old Denim Williams back in January.

Fulcher was arrested on an Orange County warrant on a charge of manslaughter with a weapon.

Deandre Florence, 18, was arrested for his alleged involvement in March. He was charged with second-degree murder during the commission of a forcible felony.

Officers said that the preliminary investigation of the Jan. 2 shooting indicated Williams was trying to steal a phone from a married couple he and another person had agreed to purchase it from when the husband fired his gun at Williams in self-defense.

The couple said that they arranged the sale of the iPhone X, which was valued at $900, through the app Offer Up and went to an area near Polk and Jefferson streets around 11:50 a.m. Jan. 2 to make the sale.

According to the investigation, messages and phone calls on Florence's cellphone show he was told to steal the cellphone by another person identified in the report as BoBo. Detectives said Florence, BoBo and Williams were involved in a criminal street gang responsible for multiple robberies in the Parramore area in December.

While Williams and the victims were talking about the phone, Williams allegedly lunged for the phone and a struggle ensued, according to the arrest report. Florence left as Williams and the person selling the phone were fighting, detectives said.

The male victim said he was in fear for his life when he fired his gun, also believing that Williams was reaching for a gun. The couple left the scene and called 911 after the shooting to explain what happened.

After Fulcher's arrest, Williams' family told News 6 they felt a weight had been lifted off their shoulders and that no matter the circumstances, their 16-year-old didn't deserve to die.

"Glad we got a little closure, that we got the man that killed my nephew," Jeffrey Thomas, Williams' uncle, said. "But it's still not going to bring him back."


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