Court Upholds Life Sentence For Mary Rice, Convicted Of Beulah Murder In 2017 Crime Spree

November 13, 2019

The First District Court of Appeal has upheld the sentence of Mary Barbara Craig Rice.

Rice was sentenced to life in prison on September 28, 2018. She and William (Billy) Boyette went on an eight-day, multi-state crime spree that caused the death of four women.

Rice and Boyette fled to a hotel in West Point, Georgia, where Rice eventually surrendered. Boyette was found inside their motel deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

She was convicted of first degree murder for the death of Kayla Crocker in Beulah and accessory after the fact for the homicides of Alicia Greer and Jacqueline Moore at the Emerald Sands Inn in Santa Rosa County. Crocker, a 2006 Tate High School graduate, was found by her mother on February 6, 2017, with a gunshot wound to her head.

Pictured top: Billy Boyette and Mary Rice captured on a game camera. Pictured below: The scene at the home of Kayla Crocker in Beulah shortly after her 2017 murder. NorthEscambia.com photos.

Comments

3 Responses to “Court Upholds Life Sentence For Mary Rice, Convicted Of Beulah Murder In 2017 Crime Spree”

  1. Tricia witt on November 14th, 2019 5:15 am

    LIFE OR WORSE, 3 YOUNG WOMEN ARE DEAD, LEAVING, CHILDREN, family and friends. Just as responsible as that Billy fellow. Such a shame, he was a coward, she deserves to hurt remembering those she killed as well.

  2. Tricia witt on November 14th, 2019 5:11 am

    Deserves life or worse, she was just as responsible as he was. 3 young women died, leaving children, family and friends to morn. Justice should be served.

  3. Tammy on November 13th, 2019 11:48 pm

    She still has to be tried in AL as well. Peggy, the respiratory therapist, was a co-worker of mine. Very sweet lady. But Rice should have gotten the death penalty. I’m almost 100% positive my husband and I heard them walking down Beulah Rd talking about an hour before Kayla was murdered. I had actually just gotten home from my last shift at Baptist hospital. My husband came outside at about 330a.m. and opened our gate for me. We were just sitting and talking with the windows open when we heard and man and a woman talking. Our dogs started raising hell. About an hour later there were LEO everywhere. Those two people ruined many lives and she deserves what she got. I don’t feel bad for her at all!