Sheena Kenon survived one brutal attack by Flay Rollins Jr. in 2018 only to be allegedly shot by him multiple times Jan. 14 and dragged into the Apalachicola National Forest as she begged for her life.
She was one of four victims in a gruesome and bloody murder spree allegedly carried out by Rollins that stretched from Tallahassee to Valdosta, Georgia, two cities where he apparently divided his time.
Kenon, the mother of one of Rollins’ children, and another woman, Otica Williams, who was pregnant, were killed at separate locations in Tallahassee. Walter “Bo” Pettiford, a coworker of Rollins, was killed in Valdosta.
According to a probable cause affidavit that includes details from a confession to police, all three victims were shot multiple times. But he took particular care to snuff out the lives of the women, both of whom he had known for years.
“After both Sheena and Otica were initially shot by Flay … (he) took it upon himself to further approach both victims and shoot them again to ensure their death.”
Rollins, a career criminal with 11 felony convictions, including the attempted manslaughter of Kenon eight years ago, allegedly decided he would begin killing after becoming enraged by his coworker, Pettiford, for reasons not stated in court records.
“After work on 1/14/2026 he formulated in his mind he was going to murder Bo,” the affidavit says. “Flay went to a sporting good store in Valdosta, Georgia, to purchase additional ammunition after work. Flay indicated he attempted to have Bo come to his residence that evening; however, due to cell service failure, he was unable to get in contact with Bo.”
During an interview with detectives after he was apprehended on Jan. 16, he spoke bluntly about his determination to kill.
“Flay stated he knew he was going to eventually end Bo’s life,” the affidavit says. “He then encountered both Sheena and Otica, who after being disrespected by them, decided to end both of their lives as well.”
Rollins tells detectives he murdered the mother of his child
Pettiford was shot and killed in the early morning hours of Jan. 16, according to court records. His body was found in the 3200 block of Skipper Bridge Road well outside Valdosta city limits, according to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 11:35 a.m. that same morning, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office got a call about a dead woman found on the side of the road on Bethel by the Lake Drive off Woodville Highway. She too had been shot.
Investigators from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office developed Flay as a suspect and learned he was in the Tallahassee area. After issuing a warrant for his arrest, Flay was apprehended at a Tallahassee gas station and taken into custody without incident.
He was arrested, booked into the Leon County Detention Facility and then taken to a video-recorded interview room, where he spoke at length about the murders after waiving his Miranda rights.
“During the interview, Flay also disclosed he had murdered the mother of his child, Sheena Kenon, earlier in the morning on 1/15/2026,” the affidavit says.
He told detectives that he picked her up in his black Chrysler and drove her around to various locations in Leon County before going into the woods near the public range in the Apalachicola National Forest.
“Flay then admitted he shot Sheena multiple times before dragging her by the feet further into the woods,” the affidavit says. “During this time Sheena was still conscious and pleading with Flay. Flay then stated he shot her again in the head.”
Rollins was arrested in 2018 on a charge of attempted murder after stabbing Kenon at her apartment on Midyette Road. She was found lying face down in the living room with two stab wounds in her back and a collapsed lung.
He claimed she had lunged at him with a knife and denied stabbing her, contrary to witness accounts. During his subsequent trial, he was found guilty by a jury of a lesser charge of attempted manslaughter.
‘Heated argument’ led to shooting of one victim
Rollins told detectives he picked up Williams after dark on Jan. 15 and drove her to an area near the El Camino Motel on Woodville Highway, about half a mile from where her body was found.
“While parked at a dead-end road, Flay and Otica got into a heated argument,” the report says. “Flay confessed that the heated argument escalated to him shooting her twice in the neck while outside of the vehicle before fleeing the area toward Georgia.”
Investigators found Williams with gunshot wounds to her head and neck and at least one spent .40-caliber bullet casing nearby.
“After a check of Otica’s medical records, Otica recently showed a positive test indicating she was pregnant,” the affidavit says. “This information was also confirmed by family members.”
Zyann Cromartie, one of Williams’ children, started a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses for her mom. She wrote that Williams was “a very loving person” who loved her kids dearly and “always put her family first.”
“Her kindness and generosity touched so many lives, and she was always there to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it,” Cromartie wrote. “Losing her so suddenly has been incredibly hard for all of us, and we want to honor her memory in the best way we can.”
At the time of the murders, Rollins was out of jail on $10,000 bond following his arrest in May 2024 on a charge of aggravated battery after attacking another girlfriend with a box cutter and punching her multiple times. Prosecutors later upgraded that charge to attempted second-degree murder, and his trial was set for May 2026.
He has been charged with three counts of murder so far and faces a fourth in the death of the unborn child, State Attorney Jack Campbell told the Democrat. He said he has not determined whether he will pursue the death penalty.
Rollins is being held without bond in the Leon County Detention Center.
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Court records trace trail of terror in Tallahassee quadruple murder
Reporting by Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
