Fla. couple who adopted 12 children found slain

[no rose colored glasses]

Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi sees few similarities. Manson, he said, wanted to start a race war and was not motivated by money. In addition, Manson's followers stabbed most of their victims and avoided homes with children.                       This is way different then the Manson clan, I have done a lot of reading on Manson, and there is really no comparsion.  The gang affiliation is interesting, if true about the strip club, could there be some connection there?

[islandmonkey]

Thanks Island, a strip club.....    There is much more to this story, nothing makes sense, but I'm sure it all will unravel soon.

  I think so too, this sheriff keeps hinting about other motives than just robbery and home invasion, but the SA asked him to stcik with this one in one of the articles I read........

[islandmonkey]

Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi sees few similarities. Manson, he said, wanted to start a race war and was not motivated by money. In addition, Manson's followers stabbed most of their victims and avoided homes with children.                       This is way different then the Manson clan, I have done a lot of reading on Manson, and there is really no comparsion.  The gang affiliation is interesting, if true about the strip club, could there be some connection there?

Oh, I know for a fact the strip club info IS true, he started it in 1990 and I'm trying to find out when he sold it.......that would help a great deal.

[no rose colored glasses]

Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi sees few similarities. Manson, he said, wanted to start a race war and was not motivated by money. In addition, Manson's followers stabbed most of their victims and avoided homes with children.                       This is way different then the Manson clan, I have done a lot of reading on Manson, and there is really no comparsion.  The gang affiliation is interesting, if true about the strip club, could there be some connection there?

Oh, I know for a fact the strip club info IS true, he started it in 1990 and I'm trying to find out when he sold it.......that would help a great deal.

Yes, curious when he sold that, if it was fairly recent, perhaps something that happened there could have been a motive also.

[islandmonkey]

Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi sees few similarities. Manson, he said, wanted to start a race war and was not motivated by money. In addition, Manson's followers stabbed most of their victims and avoided homes with children.                       This is way different then the Manson clan, I have done a lot of reading on Manson, and there is really no comparsion.  The gang affiliation is interesting, if true about the strip club, could there be some connection there?

Oh, I know for a fact the strip club info IS true, he started it in 1990 and I'm trying to find out when he sold it.......that would help a great deal.

Yes, curious when he sold that, if it was fairly recent, perhaps something that happened there could have been a motive also.

I've been searching the records and see nothing recent......I may need to search this a "different" way than normal, let me work on that.......

[no rose colored glasses]

Island have you heard any comments about human trafficking, I'm not going to bring anything here, some very strange videos, and evidently some on another forum has told authorities about this  I have no idea, just wondered if you heard anything, since you live in the area? One video scared the heck out of me, am not watching anymore.

[islandmonkey]

  Man I am slow today, he sold the strip club in the mid 90's per this interview:

http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_2788.shtml

ESCAMBIA COUNTY - We're learning more about Byrd Billings' professional past.

In a Channel Three News exclusive...

From adult entertainment to the used car business, some who worked with "Bud" Billings say he always operated with integrity.

"Bud and Melanie were both probably two of the most generous and loving and giving people I've ever met."

Arety Kapetanis says she owes her start in the adult entertainment business to Byrd "Bud" Billings.

He opened the Backseat Lounge in Pensacola in 1990 and hired the then single mother of two, to work the door and later bartend.

Kapetanis later opened her own club, Arety's Angels in 1997.

Arety Kapetanis/Arety's Angels: "It was my first experience in the business, which is why I run my business the way I do, because I learned from Bud. He ran it with integrity. He didn't get involved in all the things that people think that people in this kind of business get involved in and he was always very, very, extremely professional."

She says Billings not only gave her a job, he helped her get a car...And he and Melanie often fed the homeless who wandered past the club.

"Bud and Melanie both were very, very empathetic, caring people who really just wanted to be treated the way they treat other people and they treat other people with such great respect."

Kapetanis worked for Billings until he sold the Backseat Lounge in the mid-90's and got into used cars full time...Opening several businesses with unique names.

"I asked him, 'how do you come up with these names for your businesses?' He would take the initial of all of the children that he and Melanie had, either together or adopted and make the initial into a name and that's how he could come up with the names for his car businesses because he made it very family."

Kapetanis says Billings went out of his way to keep a good reputation in all his business dealings.

"Whatever comes up with this investigation, I think it's important that people know that Bud and Melanie were probably two of the most generous, loving, considerate people with a lot of integrity."Business Partner Remembers Byrd Billings

[Magnolia]

Pamela's Antique business is a big red flag to me.  Antique stores are frequently used for money
laundering in the drug trade.  This woman is bad to the bone.

[islandmonkey]

Island have you heard any comments about human trafficking, I'm not going to bring anything here, some very strange videos, and evidently some on another forum has told authorities about this  I have no idea, just wondered if you heard anything, since you live in the area? One video scared the heck out of me, am not watching anymore.

WTF??? No, not yet anyway.......can you email me the link, I'd love to see it.

[islandmonkey]

Pamela's Antique business is a big red flag to me.  Antique stores are frequently used for money
laundering in the drug trade.  This woman is bad to the bone.

I SOOOOOOo agree Magnolia........can't wait to check out her house today 

[no rose colored glasses]

Island have you heard any comments about human trafficking, I'm not going to bring anything here, some very strange videos, and evidently some on another forum has told authorities about this  I have no idea, just wondered if you heard anything, since you live in the area? One video scared the heck out of me, am not watching anymore.

WTF??? No, not yet anyway.......can you email me the link, I'd love to see it.

It is on the In Session and WS boards, you don't have to be a member to read. I'm telling you, some of the things being talked about is rather stunning. I don't want to go into it, because I don't know what is true or not.  And I had no idea that antique stores, could be used for money laundering in the drug trade. I'm learning quite a bit today   

[Kimmy53]

Pamela's Antique business is a big red flag to me.  Antique stores are frequently used for money
laundering in the drug trade.  This woman is bad to the bone.

I agree Magnolia - I get a hinky feeling about her. Something more than accessory after the fact.  Her smug look - I get the feeling she's someone who (Like Casey A.) thinks she's smarter than anyone else.  I seriously hope they up the charges on her.

[Magnolia]

Inside Edition just did a feature about this case and only talked about Pamela.

The Albany suspicious house fire, the bankruptcys, the marriage late last year and
the guy who still says he is married to her.  It showed her boat and car and the Magnolia
Antique Store, an up close of her. 
The years have not been kind to her.  She has hardened and has had a
bewb job, from the looks of the before and after pictures.
Maybe she just porked up.

[Kermit]

The murder victims: Byrd and Melanie Billings were well known in the small town of Beulah, west of Pensacola, Fla. They were wealthy -- he owned several successful businesses. She was 43, he was 68. Search for the latest on the case.

The children: The Billingses adopted several special-needs children. In total, they had 17 kids, 13 adopted and four from previous marriages. Watch one of their older children, Ashley Markham, talk about her parents.

The house: The Billingses' sprawling nine-bedroom home was specially equipped so the couple could keep track of their many children. That system captured chilling images of the killers entering their home on July 9. Search for more on the videos.

The break-in and murders: Police say the killers drove a red van. (Who is accused of being behind the wheel?)

Video captured three suspects entering through the front door and two through the back. The killers were out of the house in less than 10 minutes. Nine kids were at home at the time, but unhurt.

Some of the suspects wore martial arts garb. What kind?

The motives: Likely robbery, say police. The killers took a safe, among other items, from the home. There may be other motives, though police won't comment further. (Search has more facts and motives behind home invasions.)

The arrests: Eight people have been arrested in connection with the murders. One had gotten publicity for these special skills, which he taught to kids. Another is in the military. Several others worked as day laborers, and one of them is only 16. A woman is the eighth person to be charged. There could be more.

The cop: The man who has been front and center in the investigation is getting some attention for his demeanor and sound bites. Bing finds Sheriff David Morgan in front of the cameras.

In cold blood: The murder of the Billingses has been likened to a famous incident in Holcomb, Kan., in 1959. In that case, members of a rural family were murdered by strangers.

The book about those killings, "In Cold Blood," was a best-seller in the mid-'60s. Its author was equally famous and rather quirky.
http://specials.msn.com/A-List/Ninja-killers.aspx?cp-searchtext=Billings%20and%20Florida%20and%20murder

[Kermit]

VIDEO AT THIS SITE OF THE MURDERS
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/07/16/2009-07-16_pamela_long_wiggins_is_eighth_arrest_in_billings_murder_invaders_unaware_securit.html

Pamela Long Wiggins eighth arrest in Billings' murder; invaders unaware security cameras on: cops

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/07/16/2009-07-16_pamela_long_wiggins_is_eighth_arrest_in_billings_murder_invaders_unaware_securit.html#ixzz0LXYFfOPp



According to court documents, Wiggins owned a red minivan that was used in the escape after the home invasion/robbery last Thursday
http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/pamela-long-wiggins-role-in-the-crime/188759/Jul-16-2009_7-27-pm/

[no rose colored glasses]

Thanks for those links. Here is another interesting article.        http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article1019059.ece

[islandmonkey]

Island have you heard any comments about human trafficking, I'm not going to bring anything here, some very strange videos, and evidently some on another forum has told authorities about this  I have no idea, just wondered if you heard anything, since you live in the area? One video scared the heck out of me, am not watching anymore.

WTF??? No, not yet anyway.......can you email me the link, I'd love to see it.

It is on the In Session and WS boards, you don't have to be a member to read. I'm telling you, some of the things being talked about is rather stunning. I don't want to go into it, because I don't know what is true or not.  And I had no idea that antique stores, could be used for money laundering in the drug trade. I'm learning quite a bit today   

I'm LMAO at WSer's so far, they found 1206 Via DeLuna and yes that house is for sale and probably foreclosure, my daughter goes to school with the boy who lives there and he works on the beach, the property in foreclosure is on Via DeLuna (along with hundereds of homes), but it is in a condo complex and not a single family home..........how they could think that the 1600 Via DeLuna property and the 1206 Via DeLuna property are one in the same is beyond me.....but, I'm still catching up over there (while I'm laughing at them)!!!!!

[cece]

Good afternoon everyone & TY for the updates.   

Murder Suspect Arrest Reports Provide Details; Read The Original Reports
July 17, 2009
The original arrest reports of the suspects in the Billings double murder case provide a little more insight in the events that unfolded in their Beulah home on July 9.

NorthEscambia.com has obtained copies of the arrest reports for the suspects arrested in both Escambia and Okaloosa counties. We have requested a copy of the arrest report for Donnie Stallworth, the man who turned himself in and was arrested in Escambia County, Alabama. Authorities in Brewton have not responded to our request.

Click each name below to see the complete arrest reports in pdf format. The reports contain identifying information on each suspect, places of employment and a narrative that describes that person’s alleged involvement in the crime.

Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr
Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Sr
Wayne Thomas Coldiron

Gary Lamont Sumner, Jr

Frederick Lee Thornton, Jr
Rakeem Chavez Florence
Pamela Long-Wiggins

Edit to add link per cece: http://www.northescambia.com/?p=9545

[islandmonkey]

VIDEO AT THIS SITE OF THE MURDERS
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/07/16/2009-07-16_pamela_long_wiggins_is_eighth_arrest_in_billings_murder_invaders_unaware_securit.html

Pamela Long Wiggins eighth arrest in Billings' murder; invaders unaware security cameras on: cops

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/07/16/2009-07-16_pamela_long_wiggins_is_eighth_arrest_in_billings_murder_invaders_unaware_securit.html#ixzz0LXYFfOPp



According to court documents, Wiggins owned a red minivan that was used in the escape after the home invasion/robbery last Thursday
http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/pamela-long-wiggins-role-in-the-crime/188759/Jul-16-2009_7-27-pm/

Kermit- I posted the link yesterday fromn google maps, if you type in 1206 soundview trail, then got to street view, on the North Side (not directly on the water) you will see her home come up as 1230 Soundview Trail, Gulf Breeze, Fl........look at the car in the driveway, red minivan........

[cece]

Hundreds of people attended the funeral service for Byrd and Melanie Billings, the Beulah couple gunned down July 9 in their home.



Edit to add link per cece:  " photo & blurb was from pnj.com."