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Supreme Court Upholds Death Row Inmate Appeal In Billings Murders
April 11, 2014
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday turned down an appeal by a death row inmate who was convicted of killing an Escambia County couple during a July 9, 2009, home-invasion robbery.
Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr., and four other men entered the Beulah home of Byrd and Melanie Billings with plans to steal a safe that the men thought contained $13 million.
Byrd and Melanie Billings died after each being shot multiple times.
On February 17, 2011, Judge Nicholas Geeker sentenced Gonzalez to death in both murders. Gonzalez challenged the convictions and sentences in his appeal to the Supreme Court, raising numerous arguments. Those arguments included that there was not enough evidence to support a sentencing factor dealing with whether a murder is “heinous, atrocious or cruel.”
The Supreme Court found that the convictions were supported by competent, substantial evidence. In rejecting that argument, the Supreme Court also described details of the murders:
“In the case of Mr. Billings, Gonzalez shot him in one leg, repeated the request for money, and then shot him in the other leg when Mr. Billings was still not forthcoming about the money,” the ruling said. “Gonzalez then placed Mr. Billings in a headlock and dragged him into the master bedroom where he shot him in the side of the face. Only after Mr. Billings was terrorized and endured repeated non-fatal shootings did Gonzalez finally shoot him in the head. As to Mrs. Billings, although her actual shooting and death occurred fairly quickly, she was aware of her impending death and probably fearful of suffering multiple gunshot wounds, having witnessed her husband being shot and suffer. She was then shot in the face, while looking at her attacker and knowing that her children were probably also in grave danger.”
Comments
15 Responses to “Supreme Court Upholds Death Row Inmate Appeal In Billings Murders”
wonder how long and how many appeals before he leaves this earth??? i was the foreperson on a noted murder trial back in the mid 90’s… very hard to get a death sentence in this county… thought ours should have been death. but only got 25 plus 3 years. .. means the murderer has less than 7 years to go. to murder,gain money from victim,deny it was him,the other did it. called a former robbery victim a liar,. look out when he gets out
Everett, that’s how stupid this bunch was…They thought a safe in someones home had 13 million in it…FOOLS!!!! That much cash couldn’t fit in a safe!!!!
I too fell the courts decision was correct. I agree with most of the comments here.
My prayers go out to his mother, wife, and his children. They did nothing wrong and have had to carry the cross of his decisions and actions every day since.
I do not know the family members of the others, but I am sure their lives have been much the same.
This entire horrible event was just since less.
This sorry excuse for a human being has the callous gual to request an appeal for the premeditated taking of human life for monetery gain? Prepare yourself scumbag for the sentence you received is merely an earthly punishment, when you are swimming in a lake of fire that will be the ultimate answer to your appeal…You and your accomplices are disgusting.
Let’s give this family closer and get this execution over with. If anyone ever deserved to be executed this guy does.
Murder IS heinous,atrocious, & cruel!
Any sane person knows this is true.
I’m sure if any of these criminals are put to death , it will be a more humane method than they used.
This is good news. Its a shame that all those involved were not afforded the same sentence as Gonzalez, Jr. What a senseless act on the part of greedy people.
Execute this good for nothing trash and stop spending taxpayer money on his desperate appeals!
Put this scumbag in the Express Lane !!!
This happened not far from my house and I know people who are even closer. The method of his execution should be a firing squad. I watched the trial and the prosecutor’s descriptions of the murders. Both Mr. Gonzalez Jr. and Mr. Coldiron should be executed together. The handicapped children were in the next room and saw the violence done to their caregivers. The safe didn’t have the money, only important papers and Rx drugs, so it was all for nothing. I’m surprised the Supremes didn’t over turn the death penalty convictions as they have done in other murder cases. I’m glad that they think some murderers should receive the death penalty. In my opinion, it should be all, not just some.
This happened sbout a mile down the road from me, they were good folks, who didn’t deserve this. All the assailants in this case should be executed., no mercy for the Gonzales scumbag.
This will always be a very sad time in our local history.
The murder of the Billings was horrible and indeed “heinous, atrocious or cruel.”
I am sure there are others who will long remember the nasty smirk on the face of Pamela Laverne Long Wiggins as she was led in handcuffs by deputies.
So much wrong done and no way to ever fix any of it.
Put all of the evil monsters to death without further hesitation.
You can see the Florida Supreme court is not composed of complete idiots,
which is what it would take to rule in Junior’s favor.
David for better people
good judges
less trash
All four of them should be executed. Another day of them breathing on this earth is one day too long.
That would have to be a very be and heavy safe.
$13 million in $100 bills would be:
100 bills to make a stack
$10,000 per stack
1,300 stacks total to make up $13 million
That would require a very large and heavy safe. Not sure if the red van could carry
that load.