Suspects: Gonzalez Jr. Was The Only Shooter; More Evidence Recovered
July 22, 2009
Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr was the lone shooter in the murder of Byrd and Melanie Billings, according to search warrants that became public Tuesday.
Two of the seven men charged with open counts of murder in the case, Wayne Coldiron and Fredrick Thorton Jr, told investigators they witnessed the murders, and Gonzalez, Jr. (pictured left) was the only shooter, using a 9mm handgun.
A search warrant for a residence of Pamela Long Wiggins offers some insight into the murders. The warrant says Coldiron admitted to his involvement in the home invasion and murders. Coldiron told investigators that he went to a home on Ramblewood Drive in Gulf Breeze, a home he later positively identified from photographs as the home of Wiggins. He said the weapons used in the home invasion were in the residence.
A search of the residence revealed a number of firearms, including a 9mm handgun. Coldiron reported a female at the residence known to him by the first name “Pam”.
Wiggins denied involvement in the murders or home invasion, but indicated that Patrick Gonzalez Jr. was her friend and he “had a key to the residence and permission to come and go as he pleased”.
The search warrant also reveals that Thorton (pictured left) told investigators that after the crime was over, he along with the others rode in an older red van to an unknown location just up the road from the Billings residence. That’s where a safe was transferred into a smaller red minivan. Thorton said he then got into a SUV belonging to Gary Sumner and met again with the others involved at an antique store in Gulf Breeze. Wiggins reportedly owns or operates an antique store in Gulf Breeze.
At the antique store, Thorton said he met a white female who was in the same minivan he had seen the safe transferred to on the side of the road. He said she was in the company of “Pat”, a man whose description matched that of Gonzelez Jr. as the lone shooter in the Beulah incident.
Ten guns total were recovered from Wiggins’ home, including a a 9mm handgun, a .32 caliber handgun, rifles and ammunition and additional handguns. Investigators also seized black gloves, a black cap, more black clothing in an outdoor trashcan, business cards and documents from an office and a black briefcase.
Evidence recovered from Gonzalez, Jr.’s home included possible blood samples from a laundry room wall and door, a piece of carpet from a closet in the master bedroom, black jacket, black gloves, black pants, a computer, a red bungee cord, cell phone, watches and a silver necklace.
Some of the other items recovered so far under the search warrants include:
- blue jeans with suspected blood stain
- water bottles
- a large atlas
- open envelope with four checks payable to “Magnolia Antiques” and $60
- sealed envelope labeled “Deposit Thursday 7/10/09 $140.00″
- brown gloves
- brown loafers and brown boots
- a laptop computer
- $1115 and a cell phone from a purse
- additional cell phones
- “miscellaneous paperwork”
- pill bottle with 39 unknown pills
Molino Road To Be Resurfaced
July 22, 2009
Molino Road west of Highway 29 is set to be repaved.
The project is set to be awarded by the Escambia County Commission Thursday night. At a cost of $858,713.05, the low bidder on the project was Roads, Inc. of Northwest Florida.
The project includes the resurfacing of portions of Molino Road from County Road 99 to Highway 99. The project also includes other work such as stormwater pollution control, mulch, shoulder work and pavement striping.
Roads, Inc. will be allowed to close just one lane at a time during the project only during working hours. They are required to maintain traffic flow at all times.
The Molino Road project will be funding by Local Option Sales Tax funds.
Other bidders on the project were Panhandle Grading and Paving, Inc. for $906,933.12, APAC Southeast, Inc. for $1,287,682.35, and Gulf Atlantic Constructors, Inc. for $1,427,555.12.
Two Benefit Softball Tournaments Planned
July 22, 2009
Two different benefit softball tournaments are planned in North Escambia during August — one to help with a local resident’s medical expenses and one to benefit the Northview High School Quarterback Club.
Benefit Tournament for Marty Green
A coed softball tournament to benefit Marty Green will be held beginning at 8 a.m. on August 1 at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill. The coed softball team must consist of seven men and three women, double elimination. There is a $200 entry fee. For more information, contact Bodie Tullis at (850) 327-6788 or (850) 327-6722, Theresa Hanks at (850) 327-6722 or Pam Brown at (850) 327-6155.
The tournament is sponsored by Northwest Escambia Little League and Northwest Escambia Football, with all proceeds going toward Marty Green’s medical expenses.
Benefit Tournament For NHS Quarterback Club
The Northview High School Quarterback Club will host a coed softball tournament on Saturday, August 22 at Showalter Park In Century beginning at 8 a.m. The entry fee is $200 per team.
The proceeds will benefit the football program at Northview High School. For complete details and contact information, click here (pdf).
More Women And Children Enrolling In Medicaid
July 22, 2009
Florida’s battered economy appears to be pushing up the number of women and children enrolling in Medicaid, the safety net health care program for the poor.
State economists spent the early part of the week going over new forecasts for both the Medicaid program – which is funded with a combination of state and federal money – and KidCare, the state-subsidized children’s health insurance program.
Those latest forecasts show an 8 percent growth in the number of pregnant women who are below the poverty line and enrolled in Medicaid during the fiscal year that ended on June 30. But that growth is expected to surge to nearly 15 percent in the coming year.
The numbers are even more dramatic for children. Economists adopted forecasts proposed by the Agency for Health Care Administration that show nearly 100,000 more children are expected to enroll in Medicaid between now and June 2010. That’s a nearly 20 percent jump. Forecasts adopted back in February showed a projected 11 percent increase in the number of children for the current fiscal year.
Economic and Demographic Research senior analyst James LaCrosse said the increase in caseload is “slightly higher” than anticipated. He attributed the caseload increase in part to the economy.
“We don’t know why they are there for sure,” LaCrosse said, adding that “some of it is the economy.”
Costing more than $17 billion, Medicaid is one of the largest expenses in the state budget.
While increases in Medicaid population could impact the state’s budget, Florida got a huge boost this year from increased federal funding as part of the stimulus package. Plus, some of the most expensive portions of Medicaid include funding for nursing homes and prescription drugs. Economists, however, are not expected to draw up new Medicaid spending forecasts until early August.
The new Medicaid and KidCare forecasts will be used to prepare the state’s 3-year financial outlook that must be approved annually by lawmakers. Last week they studied the state’s economy and made new forecasts for lottery ticket sales that showed a slight decline.
New forecasts adopted on Monday also included a projected 11 percent increase in the number of children in Healthy Kids, a component of KidCare that offers insurance to families who make too much to qualify for Medicaid. Economists projected that nearly 2,400 more children will enroll in Healthy Kids between now and June 2010. Some of that growth is due to changes authorized by SB 918, which reduced the waiting period to get into Healthy Kids from 6 months to 60 days.
New projections suggest that KidCare will exceed its target population of 266,654 children by January 2010 due to the growth.
Atmore Rotary Fiddlers’ Convention Winners Named
July 21, 2009
Results have been announced in the Atmore Rotary Club’s 30th Annual South Alabama Old Time Fiddlers’ Convention.
Proceeds from the event fund the club’s Rotary Academic All-Stars program. The Academic All-Star program is open to students who attend Northview High School, Atmore Christian School, Escambia County High School or Escambia Academy.
Prizes awarded at the Fiddler’s Convention range from $59 to $1,000.
Winners of this year’s event were:
Bands
- 1st Open Range
- 2nd Mick Norton
String Bands
- 1st Open Range
- 2nd The Bell Family
- 3rd Seminole Trio
Dobro
- 1st Steve Crain
- 2nd Robert Bell
Banjo
- 1st Winky Hicks
- 2nd Greg Youngblood
- 3rd Billy Brown
Guitar
- 1st Charlie Carter
- 2nd Chuck Eldar
- 3rd Patrick Lowery
Mandolin
- 1st Chuck Eldar
- 2nd Wayne Crain
- 3rd Peter McCartney
Fiddle
- 1st Adam Purvis
- 2nd Garrett Youngblood
- 3rd W.G. Galbreath
Search Warrant Reveals More Details In Billings Case, Link Between Gonzalez, Jr. And Billings
July 21, 2009
A search warrant for the red van in the Billings murder case provides more clues into the double homicide last week in Beulah, including the first evidence released that show financial ties between the Billings family and their murderers.
Byrd Billings apparently loaned money to Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr., according to the search warrant. “Gonzalez reported knowing the victims and having received financial support in the past for the opening of a martial arts studio,” the warrant states.
The warrant also details items that investigators were looking for in the case, in addition to the red van. The search warrant specifically mentioned:
- a black briefcase belonging to the victim
- A handgun with 9mm ammunition
- a small safe
- any zipties
- any evidence pertaining to the crime, including hair and bodily fluids from the victims
- masks used to cover the faces of the suspects
- two long guns, one being a shotgun
The search warrant details the crime much in the way it has been reported over the past week: The bodies of Byrd and Melanie Billings were found obviously dead from multiple gunshot wounds in the bedroom. Two of the doors leading into the home had been forced open. Two intruders carried long guns, one possibly being a pump shotgun and the third carrying a handgun. The spent shell casings recovered at the scene were 9mm. The video shows the invasion taking about four minutes.
Byrd, 66, and Melanie, 43, were shot to death July 9 in their Beulah home while nine children were in the home.
Read the search warrant here (pdf).
Man Arrested After Driving Wrong Way On Highway 29; Stopping To Have Cigarette In Road
July 21, 2009
After stopping in the road to have a cigarette and driving the wrong way on Highway 29 Monday night, a Monroeville man was arrested.
A volunteer fireman reported a Chevrolet Cobalt headed south in the northbound lanes of Highway 29 near Bluff Springs Road about 11:00 Monday night. By the time he reached Thompson Road, the driver was reported to be headed back south in the southbound lanes at about 30 mph.
Then, the volunteer fireman reported that the driver stopped in Highway 29 and appeared to be having a cigarette. He then proceeded back south on Highway 29 before pulling over at a store near Highway 29 and Highway 164 in McDavid.
That’s where deputies caught up with Hargest Lee, Jr, of Monroeville. He was arrested for driving with a suspended or revoked license; records revealed that his license had been suspended or revoked at least four times in the past.
Lee, 61, was booked into the Escambia County Jail on $500 bond.
UWF Archeology Uncovers Possible Spanish Mission Evidence In Molino
July 21, 2009
Archaeologists from the University of West Florida working in Molino have discovered what they believe may the first evidence of a Spanish mission settlement dating back to the 1750’s.
The Pensacola Colonial Frontiers Survey Field School, led by archaeologist John Worth, centers on the search for outlying communities associated with Pensacola’s three Spanish presidios including Native American villages and farmsteads. The students are searching an area along and near the Escambia River in Molino for a missions settlement that is believed to have included a Spanish missionary church and a small Apalachee Indian village.
A wall trench was discovered last week, perhaps from the mission that archeologists are seeking. A square hand-wrought nail was located near the wall trench, suggesting European construction instead of Native American.
The wall area appears to have been a post-on-sill construction type that was commonly used on French colonial sites, but it has also been documented in Pensacola’s Spanish presidios. UWF archeologists said the Molino site also includes an apparent floor structure on the inside of the building.
Monday, field school students found a stamped lead bale seal with the letter “K” and the number “653″. The seals were often used in the 18th century to seal bales or bundles of cloth or other trade goods. Researchers said such seals are not uncommon at sites associated with Native American trading. They hope with a little research to be able to associate the seal with particular merchant on manufacturer.
Additional Native American ceramic fragments have been located, and archeologists are hoping that they are further proof they have located the remains of Mission Escambe. A native-made candlestick, called Colono Ware, was also located. The candlesticks were made by Native Americans for trade with, or sale to, Europeans. That is consistent with the presence of a Franciscan missionary, UWF researchers said.
A well-made greenstone disk was found as well. Archeologists say the disk could either be a Native American gaming piece, or a Apalachee item from the mission period of interest. The greenstone probably originated about 100 miles away in Alabama.
Last week, researchers found a “cob pit” — corn cobs allowed to burn and smolder in the pits to create smoke for mosquito control. The cob pits were very common in Spanish missions all across northern Florida. The corn cobs found in the Molino pit were from eight-row corn, the type of maize grown by American Indians during the period.
The latest digs were not “blind” — the UWF field school used ground penetrating radar to map the sub-surface in order to determine where to dig. A large area was found where the underground soil was different. Shovel tests in the area have turned up sheet metal and other modern artifacts — perhaps the location of a 20th century barn.
The Mission San Joseph De Escambe was established upriver along the Escambia River — which actually took its later name from the mission near Molino. The Apalachee Indian settlement with about 75 residents is well documented, according to archaeologist John Worth. It was established in the 1740’s. A Franciscan missionary was stationed by the Spanish at the village along with 15 members of a Spanish cavalry unit until about 1757.
The village was led by Apalachee Chief Juan Marcos Fant until it was destroyed during a Creek Indian raid on April 9, 1761. The village and the church were at least partially burned during the raid. Following the raid, the residents moved down the Escambia River to what is now downtown Pensacola.
The Apalachee Indians created pottery for trade with the Spanish in Pensacola, and Worth would like nothing more than to find some of that pottery. If he’s lucky, Worth also hopes to find evidence that the Apalachee Indians also traded with the Upper Creek Indians of Alabama and directly, or indirectly with the French, even though the French and Indian War (1756-1763) was underway.
“Historical documents have narrowed our search for Pensacola’s lost Spanish missions, but now our students are conducting the archaeological fieldwork designed to locate them on the ground and learn more about this chapter of our local history,” said Worth.
There are about three weeks left in the UWF Archeology Field School in Molino. NorthEscambia.com will continue to follow the group’s progress and bring you updates over the coming weeks.
Editor’s Note: While we have mentioned that the archaeological dig is in the Molino area of North Escambia, we are not revealing the exact location at this point. It is all on private property (public access would be trespassing), and UWF wishes to protect the area until their work is done and to not compromise the integrity of any artifacts that might be in the area. Once the project is complete, we will publish an article with the exact location of the dig.
Pictured top: UWF Archeology Field School students open a two by two meter shovel test area Monday in Molino to further study a possible Spanish missionary wall trench located last week. Pictured below: A native-made candlestick, possibly for trade with Europeans. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Unusual Meeting For Century Council
July 21, 2009
Mondays night’s regular meeting of the Century Town Council was very unusual. The entire meeting, gavel to gavel, took place in only about 10 minutes.
Council members approved the minutes of the their last meeting and their bill list in a matter of minutes. After a few quick discussions — including the possible placement of a “Caution Children At Play” sign on Front Street — the meeting was adjourned with no public speakers and no votes by the council.
Council member Sharon Scott requested the sign to deter speeders on Front Street. She said that persons speed down the street with no regard for children that may be out playing.
Four of five council members were present at the meeting. Council member Henry Hawkins was absent.
Learn More About Skin Cancer At Free Meeting Today
July 21, 2009
If you are interested in learning more about skin cancer risk factors, symptoms, types, treatments available and tips to help prevent the disease, there is a free seminar for you this morning in Atmore. Statistics show that skin cancer claims the life of one person every hour in the United States. More than 1 million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year, representing the most commonly diagnosed malignancy – surpassing lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer.
Yet, through early detection and preventative measures, most skin cancers are curable. Baptist Health Care’s wellness programs – Get Healthy Pensacola! and GoldenCare – are committed to providing you with the resources and education to have safe fun in the sun this summer.
The seminar will be held this morning from 9 until 10 in the Mayson Auditorium at Atmore Community Hospital.
The Seminar is free and open to the public. For more information, call (850) 469-2356. Individual appointments and group classes are also available.