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We Have Found Them: Seven Charged With Murders Of Billings Couple
July 15, 2009
Seven men ranging in age from 16 to 56 are behind bars this morning, charged with the murders of Beulah couple Melanie and Byrd Billings last week.
“We have found them, and they are in custody,” Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan told Ashley Markham, 26, the older child from the Billings family.
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said there may be an additional arrest of an accomplice in the horrific crime that he was still calling a “humdinger” Tuesday afternoon. Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said the motive was robbery, with a “medium size” safe taken from the home. He would not say what was in the safe or elaborate on any other items that might have been taken.
“It involves other businesses, other states, other countries,” Morgan said of the entire situation surrounding the case. Federal agencies are involved in the investigations. “I will not speculate on how the crime spun out of control.”
The entire attack took just 10 minutes, four of those minutes inside the home. Some of the suspects wore black ninja garb. Some of the clothing may have been purchased at an area Walmart where surveillance video recorded three of the suspects together.
There were nine developmentally disabled children in the home at the time the Billingses were shot in their bedroom.
Three of the children, Morgan said, witnessed the intruders in the home. One ran to a neighbor’s to get help. He declined to say if cameras caught the actual murder on video, but authorities have said they recovered hours of video from the home that reportedly had security cameras in every room. Morgan said Tuesday that the cameras were not necessarily for security, but to aid in monitoring a house with so many developmentally disabled children.
There is another suspect being sought as an accomplice in the case. “There some loops that need to be closed,” Morgan said. “We have one individual that we are looking at now.”
Tuesday, three people were arrested on open counts of murder. They included Donnie Stallworth, Jr., 28, who turned himself in at the Escambia County (Ala.) Detention Center in Brewton about 9:00 Monday night. Stallworth was a staff sergeant in the Air Force stationed at Hurlburt Field. Frederick Lee Thorton Jr., 19, and Rakeem Florence, 16, were arrested in Okaloosa County. The three had worked together at a Fort Walton Beach auto detailing business.
State Attorney Bill Eddins also announced Tuesday that charges were upgraded to an open count of murder against Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr, 56. He is the man that was charged with evidence tampering for trying to alter the appearance of the red van that appears in surveillance video from the Billings home.
Wayne T. Coldiron, 41, has been charged with robbery and two open courts of murder. He was described as a day laborer who had already served time in prison for murder. Gary Lamont Sumner, 30, was arrested following a traffic stop in Okaloosa County. Sheriff David Morgan said he was one of the people seen in a Walmart surveillance video with Leonard Gonzalez, Jr. (Story here.) Morgan said Sumner is believed to be one of the suspects that entered the Billings home. He was described by law enforcement as a day laborerand a friend of other suspects in the case.
Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr., 35, was arrested Sunday evening and charged with the murders of the Billings couple. Gonzelez, Jr. was an ex-convict that taught self defense classes to women and children. He had been a member of the National Guard.
Gonzalez, Sr. had worked at the Beulah couple’s home through a pressure washing business that he owned. Gonzalez, Sr. had hired Coldiron in the pressure washing businesses, and Coldiron had been to the Billings’ property.
The group reportedly trained for about 30 days for the attack, practicing at the Palm Court property in Beulah were Gonzalez, Sr. lived and hid the red van.
Pictured top: The seven men charged with the murders of Melanie and Byrd Billings. Pictured top inset: Ashley Markham, daughter of Byrd and Melanie Billings, reacts as Sheriff David Morgan announces that all the suspects in the killings of her parents are in custody. Looking on is Blue Markham, her husband. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
5 Responses to “We Have Found Them: Seven Charged With Murders Of Billings Couple”
I agree totally!! Only thing I hate is that if they are on death row they’ll probably sit there for years while tax payers have to pay for them to eat, lift weights, watch tv, play cards, develop a trade, whatever they decide to do in the pen. I hope the get executed QUICKLY so no one wastes anymore time or money on these evil sorry excuses for humans. I’m all for forgiveness, but that’s up to God and they should get that chance soon so we don’t have to pay for their wrong doings here by letting them sit on death row.
The only way to deal with these executioners is for them to be executed themselves. They did not give the Billings any leeway, so why should they receive it? I hope the DA’s office isn’t going to give them any kind of deal. What deal did they give the Billings’? None! Please don’t let these guys get away with the murder of two very loving parents of all these beautiful children. How will they ever have peace if deals are made with these criminals?? Who knows if they will do the same to these children once they get out, if we let them live??
think GOD they got them off thye street befor they did this to anyone els.
I agree with Joseph. I would bid on that auction. I’m sure nearly everyone would. Some cases may not warrant the death penalty but this is definately the exception to that rule. I have NO sympathy for the animals, no I apologize to animals, these are scumbags that shouldn’t be allowed to breathe the air that decent human beings breathe. GARBAGE should be TAKEN OUT!!!!!!!!!!
Unbelievable! How all this trash got together and planned this horrific murder of such a wonderful couple! I hope everyone involved, the pathetic pieces of crap that they are, all get executed! I am hoping with all the evidence, no plea bargains take place! I would pay the state of Florida to let me be the executioner! They could raise money for the state by auctioning off the right to execute them!
Excellent coverage on this case.