After 12 years, man charged in murder of bike-riding teen. State seeks death penalty
For the past 12 years, Anabel and William Herrera have done all they could to make sure their son’s name didn’t become just a faded memory.
The couple posted fliers with the smiling face of 16-year-old Bryan Herrera. They nudged their way onto TV shows and spoke on podcasts. They attended meetings with other parents who lost children. And they never stopped contacting police and investigators with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
Bryan, a straight A sophomore at Miami Jackson Senior High, was murdered during a robbery attempt as he bicycled to a friend’s home in Allapattah three days before Christmas in 2012. The case went cold until June, when a man who was on his way out of Miami’s Federal Detention Center and who claimed to have witnessed the teen’s murder, suddenly noticed Adrian Oneal Grimes, 31.
Grimes has a distinct physical feature: He lost his right eye to gunfire in a separate incident several years ago.
Last month, a Miami-Dade grand jury indicted Grimes for Bryan’s death. He was charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
Wednesday during Grimes’ arraignment, Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Khalil Quinan filed the state’s notice of intent to seek the death penalty. Though Grimes didn’t attend the morning hearing, his attorney Manny Alvarez said his client pleaded not guilty and requested a trial by jury.
During an afternoon press conference, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle called the unexpected interaction between Grimes and the witness who was leaving federal prison, “divine intervention.” Miami Police Chief Manny Morales recalled talking to Anabel Herrera during a meeting of the support group Parents of Murdered Children four years ago and told of how she said she felt “abandoned” by police detectives.
And William Herrera said how after 12 “long years,” he can finally see a light at the end of a dark tunnel.
“Justice,” William Herrera said, referring to those who have committed violent crimes. “One day it’s going to reach you. One day it’s going to grab you and it’s not going to let you go.”
Argument over a backpack
Bryan was riding his bicycle near Northwest 11th Avenue and 39th Street, when police said he was approached by Grimes and told to hand over what was inside his backpack. The witness told police he noticed the two arguing and even tried to get them to stop, noting it was Christmastime.
The witness, according to Grimes’ arrest warrant, then got back into his vehicle and heard a gunshot. Bryan was shot in the head and killed instantly. The witness went into a home down the street and convinced the resident to allow him to call 911. Then he took off in a red sedan. Police were never able to find him.
According to police, the only item missing at the crime scene when police arrived was Bryan’s cellphone. Morales said when detectives looked at the contents of Bryan’s backpack, immaculate drawings and tests that received only the highest grades, it stuck with them.
“That lit a fire under us,” the chief said.
Witness said ‘Peanut’ committed crime
Grimes’ arrest warrant said police received a call last June from a person identifying themselves only as W.W., who gave them more information and later identified Bryan and Grimes through pictures.
The witness said he knew Grimes — known on the street as “Peanut” — from around the neighborhood. The two men were in federal prison for drug crimes.
After being charged with murder by the state, Grimes was transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Facility. No date has been set for his trial. Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge David Young set a status hearing for March 21.
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 11:20 AM.
