Fla. couple who adopted 12 children found slain

[MuffyBee]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iTAOQx619OXpq7P0Jcpzqc9Zg-cwD99BRHQ84
Fla. couple who adopted 12 children found slain

By MELISSA NELSON – 26 minutes ago

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — Investigators asked the public to be on the lookout Friday for a red van they believe carried three men involved in the deaths of a Florida Panhandle couple who were shot in their rural home while eight of their children slept.

Surveillance cameras showed the van at the home of Byrd and Melanie Billings in Beulah, a rural area west of Pensacola near the Alabama border, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said. The children were unharmed.

The sheriff's office released an enhanced but still grainy photograph of a red, 15-passenger van dating to the late 70s or early 80s.

Morgan said investigators did not know who killed the wealthy couple known for adopting children with developmental disabilities, many born to drug-addicted mothers. But they said they wanted to question the three men suspected of involvement in the crime.

"It would be pure speculation. We see many random acts of violence now. We just don't know," he said.

Investigators are also awaiting autopsy results on the couple to learn more about the killings, he added.

Morgan said eight of the children, ages 8 to 14, were in the home when the couple was killed Thursday evening. A woman who lives in an outlying building and helps care for the children called emergency dispatchers from the home.

Deputies had to wake some of the children after they arrived, authorities said.

Investigators interviewed the children, who are now staying with other family members, Morgan said.

The Billings had 16 children, 12 of them adopted. They married 18 years ago and each had two children from previous marriages. The couple then began adopting children with developmental disabilities and other problems.

The couple owned several local businesses, including a fiance company and a used car dealership.

In a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal, the couple said they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but didn't imagine their family would grow so large.

"It just happened," Melanie Byrd told the newspaper. "I just wanted to give them a better life."

[KCJackie]

Couple With 16 Children Found Slain
By MELISSA NELSON, AP
posted: 7 HOURS 28 MINUTES

PENSACOLA, Fla. (July 10) - Investigators asked the public to be on the lookout Friday for a red van they believe carried three men involved in the deaths of a Florida Panhandle couple who were shot in their rural home while eight of their children slept.

Surveillance cameras showed the van at the home of Byrd and Melanie Billings in Beulah, a rural area west of Pensacola near the Alabama border, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said. The children were unharmed.

The sheriff's office released an enhanced but still grainy photograph of a red, 15-passenger van dating to the late 1970s or early '80s.
Morgan said investigators did not know who killed the wealthy couple known for adopting children with developmental disabilities, many born to drug-addicted mothers. But they said they wanted to question the three men suspected of involvement in the crime.

"It would be pure speculation. We see many random acts of violence now. We just don't know," he said.
Investigators are also awaiting autopsy results on the couple to learn more about the killings, he added.
Morgan said eight of the children, ages 8 to 14, were in the home when the couple was killed Thursday evening. A woman who lives in an outlying building and helps care for the children called emergency dispatchers from the home.
Deputies had to wake some of the children after they arrived, authorities said.
Investigators interviewed the children, who are now staying with other family members, Morgan said.

The Billings had 16 children, 12 of them adopted. They married 18 years ago and each had two children from previous marriages. The couple then began adopting children with developmental disabilities and other problems.

The couple owned several local businesses, including a fiance company and a used car dealership.
In a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal, the couple said they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but didn't imagine their family would grow so large.
"It just happened," Melanie Byrd told the newspaper. "I just wanted to give them a better life."

[cartfly]

Sheriff: 'Persons of interest' interviewed
Van thought to be connected to killings found Saturday

TRAVIS GRIGGS • TGRIGGS@PNJ.COM • JULY 11, 2009
[url]http://www.pnj.com/article/20090711/NEWS01/907110322/Sheriff---Persons-of-interest--interviewed&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL/url]


Investigators said three attackers who gunned down a couple inside their Beulah home worked quickly and appeared to be experienced.

Investigators were questioning two “persons of interest” Saturday in connection with the shooting deaths of Byrd, 66, and Melanie Billings, 43, on Thursday night, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said.

Video surveillance footage from inside the Billings home shows three people entering through multiple doors and carrying out their attack with “surprising” quickness, Morgan said during a news conference Saturday afternoon.

“It was a very short time span. In and out,” Morgan said. “It suggests experience to me.”

The two people being questioned match images recorded by surveillance equipment during the shooting, and investigators still are searching for a third person seen on the tapes, Morgan said. He did not show or release the surveillance footage to the media.

Morgan said phone calls from residents led investigators Saturday to a red 15-passenger van that resembles the one security cameras recorded at the couple’s home the night of the shooting.

The van was found about 1:30 p.m. behind a mobile home on the 300 block of Palm Court, near W Street and Beverly Parkway.

“About 10 a.m. this morning, we started receiving calls from citizens. ... We were inundated with calls, and finally one of those calls led to the discovery of a van, the registered owner of the van ... and we are currently working the warrants at this time to take the van into custody.”

Morgan said the van led investigators to the “persons of interest” who were being questioned Saturday night.

“I want to emphasize that these are persons of interest. At this time we have not effected any arrests,” Morgan said.

Morgan said the van’s owner is related to one of the “persons of interest” but is not a suspect and has cooperated with investigators.

Crime scene investigators and detectives still were examining the van on the property on which it was found at 7:15 p.m. Saturday.

[califmom]

 I just read about this on AOL...   I just don't understand this at all. 

My prayers go out to all of their children!!   

[cartfly]

**Arrest made!!-finally starting to get some of this scum off our the streets!!**


http://www.pnj.com/article/20090712/NEWS01/90712004&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL   

[MuffyBee]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/12/florida.couple.slain/
 Man accused of evidence tampering in couple's slaying
Jul 12, 2009
PENSACOLA, Florida (CNN)  -- A Florida man has been arrested on evidence-tampering charges in connection to the killings of a Gulf Coast couple known for adopting special-needs children, a case that has become increasingly "multifaceted," authorities said Sunday.

Byrd and Melanie Billings were found shot to death Thursday night in their home near Pensacola, Florida.
 Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr., 56, is accused of trying to modify a van that surveillance cameras captured leaving the slain couple's home, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan told reporters.

He is the first person arrested in connection with the Thursday night shooting deaths of Byrd and Melanie Billings, "hopefully with many to follow," Morgan said.

Morgan called the investigation "a humdinger" that has become "a window into something bigger," with multiple motives and players involved. But he would provide no details.

"I know this sounds like we're talking in circles," he said. "But at this point, we cannot release that information, because those circles have not been completed."

Gonzalez is not charged with killing the couple, who had eight children ranging in age from infancy to 11 years when they were killed.

Instead, he is charged with trying to alter the appearance of the red Dodge van that surveillance cameras spotted leaving the Billings home in Beulah, west of Pensacola, on Thursday night.
 Gonzalez "was covering damage and painting the van ... so that it would not be readily recognizable," Morgan said. Investigators had distributed pictures and images of the van, and its discovery Saturday was "the linchpin in this case," Morgan said.

Gonzalez was one of two people picked up for questioning Saturday night. Neither Morgan nor the local prosecutor, State Attorney Bill Eddins, would characterize his cooperation with investigators.

Eight children found in the Billings home were unharmed and were being cared for by relatives at "an undisclosed location," Morgan said Saturday night. They range in age from infancy to 11 years, police said

[MuffyBee]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/07/12/2009-07-12_leonard_gonzalez_arrested_in_murder_of_.html
Leonard Gonzalez arrested in murder of Florida's Byrd and Melanie Billings

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sunday, July 12th 2009, 8:56 PM


This 2005 picture shows Byrd and Melanie Billings with their children, 10 adopted and two biological, at their home in Beulah, Fla.


Authorities in the Florida Panhandle Sunday arrested a man in connection with the slayings of a couple known for their large family of adopted children.

Byrd and Melanie Billings of Beulah, Fla., were killed in their home Thursday as eight of their children slept.

The crime occurred at their rural home west of Pensacola, near the Alabama state line.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan announced at a news conference Sunday that 52-year-old Leonard Gonzalez had been arrested. He said Gonzalez is accused of seeking to paint over a red van that authorities had spotted on a video from the extensive surveillance system at the house.

The couple, who owned several businesses, adopted children with developmental disabilities. Of their 16 children, 12 were adopted.

Officials still don't know why the family was targeted, Morgan said. Police have not said whether anything was stolen from the home, which had nine bedrooms to accommodate the large family.

The couple were well-known locally for having adopted the children. Their businesses included a finance company and a used car dealership.

The house was carefully designed to accommodate the children, according to a story the Pensacola News Journal had written about the family. The couple told the paper they wanted to share their wealth with children in need.

[MuffyBee]

Article above indicates Leonard Gonzales has been arrested in this case, and the article I'm posting now doesn't indicate that happened yet, but I'm posting it because it includes additional information not given in previous post.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iTAOQx619OXpq7P0Jcpzqc9Zg-cwD99DA3880
Jul 12, 2009
Fla. sheriff prepares to charge slaying suspect

41 minutes ago


PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — Officials in the Florida Panhandle said late Sunday they were preparing to charge a suspect with open murder in the slaying of a wealthy Florida couple known for adopting children with developmental disabilities.

Escambia County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ted Roy said his office had a suspect in custody but he could not provide additional details. A news conference was scheduled for later Sunday night.

Earlier Sunday, another man, 56-year-old Leonard P. Gonzalez Sr., was charged with evidence tampering. Police said he tried to paint over and hide damage on a red van that was spotted on surveillance video leaving the home where Byrd and Melanie Billings were shot to death Thursday while eight of their children slept.

Sheriff David Morgan said at a news conference to announce Gonzalez's arrest that he expected more arrests, but did not provide additional details.

"At this time we are looking at multiple persons of interest," he said. "We are very anxious to share this story ... it's going to be a humdinger, I'll tell you that."

Gonzalez, who did not own the van, was still being interviewed Sunday evening and his bond was set at $250,000. A message seeking comment was left at a phone number listed for him in the Pensacola area.

The Billings were killed in their spacious, nine-bedroom home in a rural area west of Pensacola near the Alabama state line. The house had an extensive surveillance system that authorities said captured three apparently experienced criminals swiftly slipping into the house before leaving and driving off in the red van.

Tips from the public led police to the van Saturday.

Officials still haven't said why the family was targeted. Police also have not said whether anything was stolen from the home, which had nine bedrooms to accommodate the large family. The children who were there during the killings, ages 8 to 14, were interviewed by police and are now staying with other family members.

The Billings were a prominent couple who owned several businesses and had 16 children, 12 of them adopted.

They married 18 years ago and each had two children from previous marriages. They eventually started adopting children with developmental disabilities and other problems.

The house was carefully designed to accommodate the children, according to a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal. A camera was in every room, and the driveway was long to keep the kids from running into the street. A large swimming pool behind the house was gated.

The couple told the newspaper they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but didn't imagine their family would grow so large.

"It just happened," she told the newspaper. "I just wanted to give them a better life."

On Sunday, Morgan pledged to find those responsible for the killing.

"This investigation will expand much larger than anyone had anticipated," he said. "I can promise you in coming days we will have many more arrests."

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6526195.html
2 held on murder charges in Fla. couple's slaying
© 2009 The Associated Press
July 12, 2009, 10:22PM
 PENSACOLA, Fla. — Officials in the Florida Panhandle say they're holding two men on open murder charges in the slaying of a wealthy Florida couple known for adopting children with developmental disabilities.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan says day laborer Wayne Coldiron turned himself in around 9 p.m. EDT Sunday. He says Leonard P. Gonzalez Jr. was arrested later in Santa Rosa County.

Morgan says Coldiron was friends with 56-year-old Leonard P. Gonzalez Sr., who was charged earlier in the day with evidence tampering.

Authorities say the older Gonzalez tried to paint over and hide damage on a red van spotted on surveillance video leaving the home where Byrd and Melanie Billings were shot to death Thursday while eight of their children slept.

Morgan says more arrests are expected.

[cartfly]

2 charged with murder in Billings deaths
Suspect charged with tampering with evidence
http:// [url]http://www.pnj.com/article/20090712/NEWS01/90712004&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL/url]
REBEKAH ALLEN/RALLEN@PNJ.COM • JULY 12, 2009

 
Two men have been charged with murder in the slayings of a Beulah couple who were the parents of 16 — many who were adopted special needs children.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan announced the arrests of Wayne Coldiron and Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr. in a 10 p.m. press conference Sunday.



Earlier, Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr., 56, was charged with tampering with evidence, said Morgan at a press conference in conjunction with State Attorney Bill Eddins.

In the earlier press conference, Morgan was reluctant to release emerging details about the investigation, but said the complexity of the case rivals “a movie script.”

“I’m not prepared to tell you a motive at this time,” he said. “But I will tell you this: We are very anxious to share this story with Escambia County and the nation. ... It’s going to be a humdinger.”

Gonzalez Sr. was one of two people being questioned by investigators as “a person of interest” Saturday. Morgan did not want to discuss Gonzalez’s level of cooperation, but Gonzalez spent several hours Sunday talking to investigators.

A red van seen in surveillance tapes and identified by sheriff’s investigators as the getaway vehicle for the Billings’ shooters, was located Saturday at Gonzalez’s mobile home in the 300 block of Palm Court in Pensacola.

Gonzalez Sr. had attempted to paint and cover damages on the vehicle so it would be less recognizable, Morgan said.

Morgan and Eddins said Gonzalez Sr. is not connected to the family, but they would not specify whether Gonzalez Sr. was directly linked to the killings.

“That’s to be determined,” Eddins said. “We prefer not to comment. At this time he has been arrested for tampering with evidence. There is a possibility other charges will be forthcoming.”

Gonzalez Sr. was not the owner of the vehicle, Morgan said. He also said the owner of the van, who knew Gonzalez Sr., is not a person of interest in the investigation. The van was also not stolen, he said.

Tampering with evidence is a third-degree felony, and Gonzalez Sr. faces a maximum of five years in prison. But Eddins said depending on his previous felonies, Gonzalez Sr. could face as many as 10 years. His bond was set at $250,000.
(2 of 2)

Gonzalez Sr. has gotten into trouble over the years for numerous criminal traffic infractions, including driving under the influence and driving without a license. He has also been charged with misdemeanor drug possession and writing worthless checks.

Eddins assured members of the media the progress of the investigation was moving rapidly and arrests would be made in the future, but he did not want to put a time line on when new arrests might be made.

Morgan also did not limit the number of suspects they are pursuing to three people. He would only say investigators are looking for multiple people, but would not release a specific number.

No family members are currently suspects, Morgan said, nor has the investigation revealed anything that would suggest the compromised integrity of the family.

“The people that were murdered they were good people performing very positive roles in the community,” Eddins said. “This is a very horrible tragedy.”

Because of the nature of the case, Morgan said, Escambia residents are not in any additional danger from the shooters.

Both Morgan and Eddins said Escambia residents will be surprised by the details of the investigation when they are ready to release them.

“This is certainly one of the most complex (cases),” Eddins said. “I’ve seen others that rival this in other parts of the circuit, but as far as Escambia County is concerned, I believe this is this most complex I’ve seen in my 4 1/2 years in office.”

Staff Writer Carlton Proctor contributed to this report.

[cartfly]

This is getting deep, get your boots on. See this myspace of one of suspects
http:// [url]http://www.myspace.com/maryisabellagonzalez/url]

Also another (third one) has been arrested and being held in Santa Rosa county.

[cartfly]

sorry for the error in the myspace link
http://  [url]http://www.myspace.com/maryisabellagonzalez [url]

[cartfly]

I still did not get that link right when I tried to post it, but it is correct if you remove the url symbols.
This is Gonzalez Jr., LP Gonzalez Sr has also been arrested as earlier stated. Photos appear on the county website, but I couldn't figure out how to post it here.

http://www.escambiaso.com/inmateLookup.aspx

More info:
GONZALEZ, LEONARD PATRICK

Arrest Information

 
Arrest Number:   200909672
Inmate Number:   141790
Race:   W
Ht.:   5'06
Cell:   INF*225*01
Arresting Agency:   S
 
DOB:  01/31/1974
Hair:    BLN
Eyes:   BLU
 
Arrest Date:   07/13/2009
Expected Release Date*
Sex:   M
Wt.:   185
 
Charge(s) Information
Charge Number:     1
Case Number:   09-17289
Court:   
Court Date:   
Court Time:   
Statute:   782.04
Description:   MURDER
Bond Type:   C/P
Bond Amount:   $1,000,000

Charge Number:     2
Case Number:   09-17289
Court:   
Court Date:   
Court Time:   
Statute:   812.135
Description:   ROBBERY-RESID HOME INVASION
Bond Type:   COM
Bond Amount:   $0

[cartfly]

This is just heart breaking. What a wonderful Mother and Father to these beautiful children. The following is Mrs Melanie Billings myspace. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to care for one special needs child much less 12. Melanie and Byrd were truly a God send for these special children.

http://www.myspace.com/melaniebbb

[MuffyBee]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iTAOQx619OXpq7P0Jcpzqc9Zg-cwD99DK8V01
Motive probed in slaying of Fla. pair with 16 kids
July 13, 2009

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — Investigators are looking at business ties among other leads for a motive in the slaying of a wealthy Florida couple who adopted 12 children with developmental disabilities and other problems, authorities said Monday.

But there may be multiple motives and more arrests are possible after three men were jailed Sunday, two of them on murder charges in the shooting deaths of Byrd and Melanie Billings at their sprawling home near Pensacola, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said.

"It began as what we thought was a home invasion. At this point because of the complexity and the ties this family had through the business community, we're moving many other directions. Could be money, could be a whole host of things," Morgan said on the NBC "Today" show.

Morgan also cited the family's business ties in an interview on the CBS "Early Show" but declined to be more specific and said investigators are working on "multiple motives."

Three men have been arrested in connection with the slaying and were scheduled to appear in court Monday and Tuesday.

Day laborer Wayne Coldiron, 41, turned himself in to Escambia County authorities and Leonard P. Gonzalez Jr., 35, was arrested in neighboring Santa Rosa County. Both were charged with murder and with home invasion, according to their arrest warrants. The two were set to have a first court appearance Tuesday.

Authorities also jailed Gonzalez's father, Leonard P. Gonzalez Sr., on a charge of evidence tampering. Police said the 56-year-old tried to paint over and hide damage on a red van that was spotted on surveillance video leaving the Billings home after the shootings Thursday. Gonzalez was due in court Monday.

Eight of the couple's children were asleep in the house when the shootings took place.

Ashley Markham, an adult daughter of the Billings, said the adopted children are together with friends and family at an undisclosed location. The Pensacola News Journal reported that Markham told reporters Monday that she planned to carry on with her parents' legacy.

Asked about the three men arrested, Markham said she had no knowledge of any connection between those men, her parents or any of the children in the household.

"The people who have been arrested, we have no knowledge of them," she said. "Thats all I know."

The Billings were well-respected in the area for providing a home for children with autism, Down syndrome and other developmental problems, and "especially Melanie has been referred to as an angel," the sheriff told CBS.

The elder Gonzalez told investigators that he was the getaway driver and waited in the van while the others broke into the Billings' house and burglarized it, according to warrants released late Sunday. He also told police several other men were involved.

The surveillance video shows three armed, masked suspects arrive in the van, enter the house and then return to the vehicle, the warrants said.

The Billings' nine-bedroom home in a rural area west of Pensacola near the Alabama state line ad an extensive surveillance system that authorities said captured the break-in. Tips from the public led police to the van Saturday.

Morgan said the investigation involves a complex web of relationships between suspects, though he declined to elaborate on them. He said it did not appear that the suspects knew the victims. The younger Gonzalez and Coldiron are friends, the warrants said.

The Billings had 16 children, 12 of them adopted. The children who were there during the killings were aged 8 to 14.

The couple married 18 years ago and each had two children from previous marriages. They eventually started adopting children with developmental disabilities and other problems.

The house was carefully designed to accommodate the children, according to a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal. A camera was in every room, and the driveway was long to keep the kids from running into the street. A large swimming pool behind the house was gated.

The couple told the newspaper they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but didn't imagine their family would grow so large.

"It just happened," Melanie told the newspaper. "I just wanted to give them a better life."

[MuffyBee]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/13/florida.couple.slain/
 More arrests planned in slayings of Gulf Coast couple
July 13. 2009
PENSACOLA, Florida (CNN)  -- Additional arrests are expected in the killings of a Gulf Coast couple known for adopting special-needs children, according to Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan.
 Two people were arrested on murder charges over the weekend. A third suspect has been arrested in the investigation as well, charged with evidence tampering, authorities said.

The investigation into Thursday's shooting deaths of Byrd and Melanie Billings has become "a window into something bigger," with multiple motives, multiple suspects, and sudden twists and turns, Morgan said at a briefing Sunday night.

"This is like a movie script. The more we've delved into this and worked this case, the different avenues that it would go down -- just when you thought, 'All right, we're in a straight line at this point with this investigation,' it would take a hard right or a hard left, and it was almost as though you had another investigation that you were initiating."

"We are very anxious to share this story with the citizens of Escambia County and with the nation if you will," Morgan said. "It's gonna be a humdinger."

The two suspects facing murder charges are Wayne Coldiron and Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., Morgan said.

Authorities have not said what their motives may have been, and neither suspect has made a public statement.

At a news conference Monday, one of the Billingses' grown children said the family does not know the suspects.
 "We have no knowledge of them," said Ashley Markham, biological daughter of Melanie Billings.

"We just -- we want justice."

Byrd and Melanie Billings had 17 children total, including many with special needs. Nine children were at home when the couple was shot and killed Thursday night, Markham said.

Authorities said Coldiron, 41, surrendered to investigators Sunday. Gonzalez was arrested in neighboring Santa Rosa County on Sunday evening, authorities said. Gonzalez's age was not immediately released.

Sheriff Morgan was announcing Coldiron's arrest to reporters when detectives informed him that Gonzalez was in custody. Video Watch sheriff learn of second arrest »

Gonzalez's father, Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr., 56, has been arrested on evidence-tampering charges. He is accused of trying to disguise a red Dodge van that surveillance cameras captured leaving the slain couple's home.

Investigators had distributed images of the van, and its discovery Saturday was "the linchpin in this case," Morgan said. The elder Gonzalez "was covering damage and painting the van ... so that it would not be readily recognizable."

At her news conference Monday, Markham described her parents as having "only had love in their lives since the day they met 19 years ago. They knew they were soulmates." The two "chose a life that many people did not understand" when they adopted so many children, Markham said.

"They had a calling to adopt and love children that others did not see as normal."

The couple viewed their children as "perfect, angels that God provided them with to love eternally," she said.

In all, the couple had 17 children. Each parent had two biological children, and the rest were adopted, Markham said. The parents had no biological children together. Three of the children have died, including Markham's biological sister, she said.

"We know our parents are watching over use now, reunited with their three angels in heaven," she said. Video Watch Ashley Markham say, "Love was never scarce" in Billings home »

There is no sign that the children who were in the home were threatened directly at any point during Thursday night's shooting, Markham said.

The children "are coping very well" and are being cared for, she said.

"They haven't asked too many questions," she said, noting that several have disabilities. "I don't know if it's a good thing, but they'll be able to get through it -- just not understanding."

The children "will remain together, and will remain with family," Markham said.

"Right now, I have to be strong," she said, adding that her mother's spirit "is here with me -- she'll get me through it. I have to be strong for the children, above and beyond everything else."

While there are special expenses for special-needs children, Markham said, "There's a plan in place, and we will make it work."

Asked about 2005 article suggesting Byrd Billings was wealthy, Markham's attorney Crystal Spencer said he was an entrepreneur, "wealthy in spirit and blessed materially."


While the investigation continues, the family is keeping the children's whereabouts a secret.

The Billingses lived in Beulah, west of Pensacola, near the Alabama state line.

[Nut44x4]

Jul 13, 4:49 PM EDT 

Up to 8 people involved in Fla. couple's slaying


PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -- A team of up to eight people masterminded a chilling and deadly break-in at the home of a Florida couple known for adopting children with developmental disabilities, a sheriff in the Florida Panhandle said Monday.

Melanie and Byrd Billings were shot to death Thursday while nine of their children were home. One child left to alert a neighbor, who called 911. Several children saw the intruders but were not hurt, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said. The others were sleeping.

Morgan said robbery was one of "numerous motives," though he did not elaborate on what the others might have been.

Authorities have already arrested three people and say up to five more may have been involved. Two men described as persons of interest were being interviewed Monday, Morgan said.

The break-in was captured by an extensive surveillance camera system that the Billingses used to keep tabs on their children.

Authorities had already released video of a red van seen dropping off three suspects at the front door of the sprawling nine-bedroom home west of Pensacola.

Morgan on Monday showed more surveillance video that captured men in "ninja garb" entering the back of the home through a utility door that had been left unlocked.

"I think you'll find this particularly chilling and here's why: We have a team that enters at the rear of the home and another that enters at the front of the home," Morgan said. He said the mastermind of the break-in was among the three people in custody, but he would not be more specific.

Day laborer Wayne Coldiron, 41, turned himself in to Escambia County authorities and Leonard P. Gonzalez Jr., 35, was arrested in neighboring Santa Rosa County. Both were charged with murder and home invasion, according to their arrest warrants.

Authorities also jailed Gonzalez's father, Leonard P. Gonzalez Sr., on a charge of evidence tampering. Police said the 56-year-old tried to paint over and hide damage on a red van that was spotted on surveillance video leaving the home after the shootings Thursday. Tips from the public led investigators to the van Saturday.

The elder Gonzalez appeared in an Escambia County courtroom via video conference Monday afternoon.

State Attorney Bill Eddins said Gonzalez had been cooperative with investigators but asked that Judge Tom Johnson not lower his bond. Johnson agreed and raised the bond to $500,000, saying $250,000 was not sufficient. Gonzalez did not speak except to say that he is disabled when asked if he was employed. He will have a court-appointed attorney but Johnson did not say who it will be.

The Billingses had a total of 16 children.

Ashley Markham, an adult daughter, said the adopted children are together with friends and family at an undisclosed location. She said she had no knowledge of any connection between the three men in custody and her parents or any of the children in the household.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FLORIDA_COUPLE_SLAIN?SITE=VANOV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[MuffyBee]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/13/florida.couple.slain/
Fourth suspect arrested in killing of Gulf Coast couple
July 13, 2009
ENSACOLA, Florida (CNN)  -- A fourth suspect has been arrested in the shooting deaths of a Gulf Coast couple known for adopting special-needs children, authorities said late Monday.
 Gary Lamont Sumner faces a murder charge for his alleged role in the deaths of Byrd and Melanie Billings on Thursday, Escambia County, Florida, Sheriff David Morgan said.




Police believe six to eight people were involved in the homicides, which occurred in the couple's home in Beulah, west of Pensacola, near the Alabama state line.

Wayne Coldiron, 41; Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., 35, and Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr., 56, were arrested over the weekend. Coldiron and the younger Gonzalez face charges of murder, robbery and residential home invasion; the elder Gonzalez faces charges of evidence tampering for allegedly trying to disguise a vehicle spotted at the home.

The crime was "a very well-planned and methodical operation," said Escambia County, Florida, Sheriff David Morgan.

Both of the Billingses were shot multiple times, Morgan said, but he would not release further details on their deaths.

Authorities released two surveillance tapes taken from the front and rear of the Billingses' home. Each shows a vehicle pulling up to the property, and five people dressed in black and wearing masks entering the home through two entrances -- including through a utility door left unlocked, something Morgan said is not uncommon in the community. Authorities believe drivers remained in both of the cars.

Investigators believe one motive in the deaths was robbery, but "we believe there are other motives," Morgan said. He would not say what, if anything, was taken from the home.

Melanie Billings' biological daughter, Ashley Markham, told reporters the couple initially had 17 children -- two biological children each for Byrd and Melanie Billings, with the rest adopted. Three have died over the years, she said. The couple had no biological children together. Video Watch Ashley Markham say, "Love was never scarce" in Billings home »

Morgan, however, said the couple had a total of 16 children, with two that have died and others that have grown older and no longer live in the Billingses' home.

Nine of the couple's children were home at the time of the incident, Morgan said, and police believe three of them saw the intruders. One managed to flee the home and seek help at a neighbor's house, the sheriff said.
 Wayne Coldiron, 41; Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., 35, and Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr., 56, were arrested over the weekend.

Coldiron and the younger Gonzalez face charges of murder, robbery and residential home invasion; the elder Gonzalez faces charges of evidence tampering for allegedly trying to disguise a vehicle spotted at the home.

Coldiron and the younger Gonzalez were being held on $1 million bond, according to records posted on the sheriff's Web site. The senior Gonzalez was being held on $250,000 bond.

One of the three in custody is believed to be the mastermind behind the crime, Morgan said, but would not say which one. Video Watch a report on the arrests in the complex case »

Police also released a surveillance photo taken at a Wal-Mart in nearby Gulf Breeze, Florida, in recent weeks, showing three men. One is the younger Gonzalez, but authorities want to know who the other men are, Morgan said.

The sheriff called the surveillance tapes "chilling." He noted that the vehicles were at the home less than 10 minutes, and the five people were in the house less than four minutes.

"It leads me to believe that this was a very well-planned and methodical operation," Morgan said.

Although the Billingses were well known in the community, the sheriff said authorities are still trying to unravel why they were targeted. He compared their deaths to the slaying of the Clutter family of Kansas, inspiration for Truman Capote's novel "In Cold Blood," noting the Clutter murders were something the community struggled with for years.

"It will be a very long time, I believe, until we piece together the truth of why this family was selected," Morgan said.

Police believe the suspects might have bought the clothes they wore to the home and were reviewing surveillance tapes and photos from several stores, he said.

Morgan said the crime's complexity is frustrating for investigators, comparing it to a complicated mathematics word problem that lacks complete information.

"It seems as though each phase we complete, while we answer a set of questions, it opens up an additional set of questions."

Earlier, he said the complete story, when revealed, is "going to be a humdinger."

Asked whether the suspects entered the home planning to kill the couple, Morgan said authorities do not know.
 Markham said earlier the family does not know any of the three suspects. She said the children "are coping very well" and are being cared for.

"They haven't asked too many questions," she said, noting that several have disabilities. While the investigation continues, the family is keeping the children's whereabouts a secret.

(There are videos in the article if you go to the link)

[islandmonkey]

  Word here in Pensacola is that this was a "hit".......I'm watching the local news now and will report anything new.

[islandmonkey]

Seven in custody now (one a minor)  . Also, sherriff is hugging Ashley (Melanie's daughter). He promised her he'd get those responsible for the crime.  They are held on "open murder" charges.......No direct ties confirmed, two of the suspects worked for Byrd Billings once or twice. Loops still need to be closed, they are still looking at another suspect. FBI involved because elements of case go outside state of Florida and they can't release that info. Motive is robbery (which I don't get as they were only in the home a very short period of time  ), they took a safe though.