TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — In a 2.5-hour statement to police, Billy Adams III, 25, told detectives he killed a 22-year-old pregnant woman after she pointed a gun at him first, according to the prosecution’s pretrial detention motion.

The claim came after he had allegedly changed his story several times.

“The defendant changed his statement to the fact that the victim pulled a gun on him and he was able to get the gun away from the victim and then shot her in the head as self-defense,” the motion reads.

Adams faced a Hillsborough County judge Thursday morning for a first appearance on charges related to the death of Alana Sims, a mother who was 5 months pregnant, on Jan. 30.

Sims was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in the Easton Park subdivision.

Officials said Adams was believed to be the father of her unborn baby.

”It would appear that the motive is that he did not want to be in her life anymore and was not ready to have a child, is unfortunately how it appears to us,” said Major Mike Stout with the Tampa Police Department.

“Praise the Lord. We were thankful that he is under arrest. That was our biggest prayer,” Shahlevi Sims, Alana Sims’ mother, told News Channel 8 Wednesday night.

Sims’ family said Sims thought she was attending a party celebrating Adams’ acquittal three days earlier.

In that trial, Adams’ attorneys argued successfully he acted in self-defense in the 2020 shooting deaths of two people.

Adams initially told detectives he was at home the night of Sims’ death and that he had not been in contact with her for months.

According to the pretrial detention motion, a vehicle registered to Adams’ father was seen entering and exiting the Easton Park subdivision on the night of the homicide.

An RFID tag on the vehicle also showed the vehicle leaving Adams’ father’s residence.

When presented with this evidence, according to the motion, Adams changed his story to say he spent time with friends, showing detectives a video with an altered date.

Finally, Adams said he did meet Sims in the Easton Park neighborhood. That’s when he said he acted in self-defense when he killed her.

“Adams, III further confirmed that he knew the victim was pregnant and that he could possibly be the father,” the motion reads.

Two live rounds of ammunition from a .9 mm caliber firearm were found in the vehicle Adams was using, according to court documents filed by the prosecution.

Court records also show detectives obtained text messages between Adams and another woman who said she thought they were going to have a relationship but now “she’s pregnant and still here.”

Adams responded on Jan. 29, “tomorrow dis [expletive] done.”

One response from the woman read “this ain’t the way baby.”

Adams will remain behind bars until a pretrial detention hearing scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Adams is facing charges of first-degree murder with a firearm and killing of an unborn child by injury to the mother.