Approximately five or six months ago, Geremy Navarro said, a law enforcement official took DNA swabs from him. Navarro said the official told him he needed the material for a murder investigation.

On Friday, Navarro said, he was standing outside his workplace when he saw several law enforcement officials approach.

"I saw them coming. I knew what it was, but I know I'm innocent," Navarro told a Star-Banner reporter during an interview conducted Saturday morning while Navarro was sitting on an aluminum bench inside the Marion County Jail. Navarro had just finished his first appearance hearing, which was conducted at the jail.

Earlier coverage: Man charged with first-degree murder in 2022 NW Ocala shooting death

Family wants closure: 15 years later, Ocala's Blackburn family still longs for answers about Christine

At the police department on Friday, Navarro said he was told he was charged with murder in connection with the January 2022 shooting death of a 19-year-old man who had autism. Earlier in the day, a grand jury had returned a first-degree murder indictment charging Navarro in the case.

Navarro said he was told police had DNA evidence, but officers would not tell him how his DNA is connected with the homicide.

"I can't tell you something I don't know about," he told a Star-Banner reporter when explaining why he did not speak to detectives after his arrest. "Nothing I can say is going to change your mind."

As of Monday, Ocala police had not described what evidence was presented to the grand jury to secure the indictment.

Navarro's explanation of where he was at the time of the shooting

The victim, Ferron Marquise Williams of Ocala, was shot and killed the night of Jan. 27, 2022, Ocala police said. At the time, he was on a residence's front porch on Northwest Sixth Avenue trying to access the Wi-Fi network of the nearby Hardee's, 908 N. Pine Ave.

Asked if he was at the scene of the shooting, Navarro said no. He told the Star-Banner he was with his girlfriend at the time of the shooting. Navarro said he left her home in Silver Springs Shores and got home between 10 and 11 p.m. He said he then went to sleep.

Navarro said he was driving a blue Chrysler. He said he has two witnesses verifying his timeline: his girlfriend and a woman who lives at his mother's home. He said the second woman was at his mother's home when he got there.

He also said footage from a ring camera will confirm his account of his whereabouts.

"I've the ring camera and two witnesses," Navarro said. "I don't know him. I've never seen him before," Navarro said of the shooting victim.

During the first appearance hearing on Saturday, the judge appointed the Public Defender's Office to represent Navarro. A representative from that office told a Star-Banner reporter on Monday that they are aware of the case but at this time have no comment.

Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Charged in January 2022 shooting death, Ocala man says he's innocent