Man arrested in fatal shooting of preschool teacher on I-95 in Fort Lauderdale

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – A month after a shooting along Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale left a woman dead and her boyfriend injured, police have made an arrest in the case.

Twenty-one-year-old Jahkobi Williams appeared in bond court on Friday, one day after he was taken into custody.

The outcome is what the family of Ana Estevez had been waiting for: an arrest in the death of their loved one after, police said, the 23-year-old preschool teacher was gunned down in her own car on Nov. 27.

Before Williams’ arrest, Estevez’s cousin, Jovani Rodriguez pleaded for the suspect’s capture.

“To think that there was a possibility that somebody was going to get away with murder. Please catch this person,” he said.

Williams faces one count of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.

“Court finds probable cause on all charges. You’ll be detained,” said Broward Circuit Court Judge Joseph Murphy.

Investigators said the driver of a white BMW i8 sideswiped Estevez and her boyfriend’s car between Sunrise and Broward Boulevard, then opened fire.

Deputies said Williams is the motorist responsible.

Family members said Estevez was heading home from a Thanksgiving trip with her boyfriend, who was also injured in the shooting.

Estevez’s family said teaching was her calling.

“She had a strong connection to children. She was someone who was really on the path to do things within her passion,” said her cousin, Fernando Rodriguez.

Though just 23, Estevez, nicknamed “Ani,” was already head teacher at the Montessori school where she worked, according to her cousins. She was studying to teach special needs students.

“She was somebody that this world would have benefited so much from still having her around,” said Jovani. “Everybody that came across Ani was a better person because of the interaction with her.”

Although an arrest has been made, loved ones said, one question haunts them.

“Why did it come to the point where you felt like you needed to fire your weapon — five, six, seven, eight times — and end somebody’s life for no reason Like, what caused you to think that that’s what you had to do?” said Jovani. “I’ll never understand why this happened. I’ll never understand why [Ani] got taken away from us at such a young age. At least he won’t be able to hurt anybody else.”

Jovani said he reached out to BSO detectives to thank them for their work.

Williams is being held without bond at the Broward County Jail.

It’s unknown how Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives were able to find Williams. What led the suspect to open fire is also unclear.

Williams is also facing charges in connection to a separate shooting along I-95 where, investigators said, a girl was hit by bullets moments before Estevez was shot. The victim’s father took the child to the hospital for treatment, and she has since recovered.

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