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Billings Family Seeks To Keep Video From Being Made Public; Suspects Arraigned
August 14, 2009
The family of Byrd and Melanie Billings has asked a judge to rule that certain evidence, including security camera video footage of the execution style murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings, not be released to the public. That request came Thursday afternoon, just hours after the seven murder suspects all entered not guilty pleas to the crime.
“The only media or public interest in the information arises out of morbid exploitation by some members of the public and the sensationalism surrounding the criminal case,” Billings daughter Ashely Markham’s motion for a declaratory judgment said. The motion was filed in Escambia County Circuit Court last Wednesday afternoon.
The motion also argued that the documents and video would defame the Billings’ good name and place their nine adoptive children in danger. The motion states that at least one of the children appears in the video recordings from inside the home during the July 9 murders.
“The public release of the information will jeopardize the safety of the Markhams and the minor children,” the motion says. “The privacy rights of the Markhams outweighs the public’s right to know.”
State Attorney Bill Eddins agreed to withhold the video footage and other evidence until the judges assigned to hear the criminal cases can issue a ruling.
Items such as the video footage are usually made part of the public record in a case as it reaches the discovery phase — that’s when the prosecution makes the evidence available to the defense attorneys in a criminal case.
Also on Thursday, the seven people charged with first degree murder were arraigned. Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., 35; Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr., 56; Wayne Coldiron, 41; Donnie Ray Stallworth, 28; Gary Lamont Sumner Jr., 30; Rakeem Florence, 16; and Frederick Lee Thornton Jr., 19 all entered not guilty pleas.
The alleged mastermind, Gonzalez, Jr., also asked that his bond be reduced, a request that was denied.
Comments
2 Responses to “Billings Family Seeks To Keep Video From Being Made Public; Suspects Arraigned”
Ashley looks more like Byrd than she does like Melanie. Morgan has promised us a doozy of a story, but I think that he’s keeping most of the doozy details to himself as long as he can. BTW, where’s the THIRD safe? I’ll bet that Ashley knows. Follow the money. Who benefits most from their deaths? Byrd had all that cash, and maybe he was just a little too stingy with it.
It sure is funny how the story is unfolding isn’t it? I always knew there was MORE to the killing’s then what the public already knows. Melanie use to dance at the “ROYAL” for several years. That is how she meet Byrd because he had his hands in the business too. Then again Melanie always wanted materialistic things instead of true love. She must have made a turn for the better to take on all those children in need, or was it simply for the money? We the public will know in due time won’t we? Have a nice day!