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Local Blogger: Billings Murder Was Contract Hit
July 20, 2009
One local newspaper publisher is reporting that the Billings murders might have been a contract hit organized by Patrick Gonzalez, Jr.
Ricks’ Blog, from Pensacola Independent News Publisher Rick Outzen, published the report Sunday night, citing unnamed sources. Gonzalez was to be paid between $20,000 and $50,000 for the killings, plus whatever could be removed from the Billings home. Outzen says in his report that the July 9 attack was not the first attempt by the suspects.
Outzen said his sources said the murders were connected to Byrd Billings’ financing of used car lots in the area.
Outzen often posts information from “sources” he in segments he usually calls “Buzz” on his blog, but he is known in the Pensacola community for very often being correct.
Comments
20 Responses to “Local Blogger: Billings Murder Was Contract Hit”
This would make more sense. Home invasion/robbery as the motive doesn’t add up at all to me. I’ve suspected all along that there’s more to this story & more people involved—not sure about the possibility of Billings being “crooked” in any way as some have suggested. However anything is possible & successful people usually leave a string of enemies on their path to success. Just hoping the full story will be revealed & ALL guilty parties caught & prosecuted regardless of Billing’s past.
And lets not forget about P. Link.
A 45 year old woman having so many special needs kids? And this spoke person Ashely isnt even HIS (as in Byrds) she needs to shut up and sit down already.
What a bout the adoption scam?
And Melanie was the one who was sueing the courts for money for using her name…
Anyone want to give up BYRDS signature?
I hope now they know what they have done to the kids- they said, they loved so much!
hmm no wonderment to me. The had how many adopties in how many years? lots of paid out money there- let alone special needs child…
anyone know or hear of a L Billinglsey, or a L Higley, what about a P. Link?
hmm seems like this family got around.
Let’s get back to the subject of the story, please, in future comments.
Weed, you really should take your own advice. For real please proofread.
Quote – - “Trying to read some of these posts are worse than trying to read a 1st grader’s Santa Letter.”
Hmmmm…. really bad grammar in a post asking for good grammar. That’s ironic.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if it comes out taht Billings was crooked himself. After all, he was a used car salesman.
I do to think we all should real all are posts beefor we do put stuff on the inline news.
If all it took was four minutes then these killers had it planned to murder the Billings. Any grab and run burglars are unlikely to have carried out a neat execution like this. After all they were all with masks and hoods and if it was just a burglary the victims could never have identified them anyway. So why kill them. I think this was a murder from the get go, well planned and executed.
This is not a comment about the story but about the people commenting. Please use spell check or proof read your post before you hit submit. Trying to read some of these posts are worse than trying to read a 1st grader’s Santa Letter.
even if they were going to rob them, they didn’t have to kill them. Robbery charges would have carried a much lesser sentence. The guy who “master planned” this whole even has just almost given these other people a death sentence…that’s what happens when you pay “follow the leader” and you don’t think with the brain that God gave you. It is a scary thing to think about what they did to this couple with no remorse at all…this coul happen to anyone that is percieved to have money….watch your back everywhere you go, watch and make sure your not followed…home too. Lock yiour doors and whatever else you need to do when you get home. Don’t think your dafe just because your at “home”…as you see these lunatics invaded their home without warning.
Yeah they make a killing! especialy when they sell to the illegals my husband buddies smuggle in. They pay 950.00 at the auction sell it to the ilegal for 5,000 then with a 8888 load of instrest then once he gets it payed off it will cost him another 3,000 plus cost to have it smuggled into Mexico. do not understand why it has to be smuggled into Mexico I bet ICE does. That might be why Ice met with sheriff along with others.
first of all, Byrd has been retired for several years. So he was home at 7 p.m. because HE WAS RETIRED. The daughter was simply stating that her father worked those hours all of her life GROWING UP. Lord, why do people have to make things so dang difficult? ha ha When he was home is irrelevant or why he was home at 7 p.m. doesn’t make a difference. And why can’t certain people understand that you could legitimately make money in the used car business? ARe you kidding me? Used car sales is one of the biggest ripoffs there are! They go to auction and buy a used car and turn around and sell it for thousand more than they paid! That should not be difficult to understand, plus he had some type of financing business TOO. I just know that regardless of whether he was involved in shady dealings, he still did not deserve to be murdered. I think it will come out that this was definitely a MURDER, not just a robbery – they intended to murder. And on his arrest report, which is published now, it says pre-meditated murder. Uh, if they were just going to break in and steal a safe, why would it be pre-meditated? The cops know more than they can release right now, and that proves it to me.
The area that makes you think is that they were in and out of the house in just 4 minutes. That makes you think that the couple must have been killed right away and the decision to kill them was made before these animals ever arrived at the house. With hoods (“Ninja garb”) to prevent anyone from being recognized, it is odd that only 2 people would be killed when there were so many in the house. You would think that none would be killed or that all would be killed.
For the kids sakes, the adults ones and the children, I hope it is what it appears on the surface to be, (stupid redneck wannabe thugs in over their heads and lost it), as opposed to something more serious.
Ashley stated in an interview I read yesterday that Byrd retired a few years ago. I can’t remember the year exactly but it was 2002 or 2003 I think. The working 6 am to 8pm was in reference toall the years he did work and built the business. Ashley and her husband took over when Byrd retired.
i am cpa by profession, and don’t know everything. with hard work and a few bank loans in is not hard to make living in his auto related businesses. also think how much fla. real estate has appreciated over the past 10 -12 years. it’s
not hard for me to believe byrd could earn good a living in an honest manner. 200 to 300 k profit or ( more) per year is very reasonabe. plus the family would have a lot of tax deductions. thanks
i don’t think she ment every day, all the time. i have the impression he put alot of time into work. thanks
Does sound like a possibilty. I hope not, but could be. Also, how did they have the money they have with used car lots? Was that a front for something else or what? Just wondering.
I know this much: I’m a big fan of Independent News. I love the fact that Rick says exactly what he’s thinking without sugar coating it. It’s the best print media around. I couldn’t say that about IN’s website, since northescambia.com takes #1 local overall news media outlet in my book!
G, 43 YO Melanie’s 26 YO daughter claimed that Byrd worked 6 am to 8 pm six days a week, so I don’t understand how this could have happened at 7 pm.