Fla. couple who adopted 12 children found slain

[Fanny Mae]

Does anyone know about the two grown children of Byrd Billings, especially the son he sued??

[islandmonkey]

Does anyone know about the two grown children of Byrd Billings, especially the son he sued??

No, but working on it now.......I did hear rumor that one killed himself (but this source is not one of my usual sources), so digging now.

[islandmonkey]

Does anyone know about the two grown children of Byrd Billings, especially the son he sued??

Found some info:

Byrd Billings, 66, when he died, had two biological children - Michael, who lives in South Florida, and Melisssa, who lives in Arizona - and an older adopted son who is believed to have committed suicide.

Melanie, 43, his third wife, also had two children - Ashley and Nikki, who died last year of complications from cerebral palsy.

http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=76270

[Sister]

Island, thank you for the post of the statutes -- that gives some comfort that her role will not be viewed as a "minor" offense -- just wonder if she will roll on her friends? for a plea bargain?

[islandmonkey]

Island, thank you for the post of the statutes -- that gives some comfort that her role will not be viewed as a "minor" offense -- just wonder if she will roll on her friends? for a plea bargain?

YW~I was so sick about her charges that I had to find the statute and the sentencing guidelines........no way is her role "minor" IMO, I think she should be hit with an additional conspiracy charge and ultimately 2 counts of open murder. I think she may roll on someone, but I honestly think she's been bonded so low for a reason. I think they are trying to use her to find others. She was at the Starbucks by the mall the other day and the press was all over her, smug as usual.

[Fanny Mae]

Island, thank you for the post of the statutes -- that gives some comfort that her role will not be viewed as a "minor" offense -- just wonder if she will roll on her friends? for a plea bargain?

YW~I was so sick about her charges that I had to find the statute and the sentencing guidelines........no way is her role "minor" IMO, I think she should be hit with an additional conspiracy charge and ultimately 2 counts of open murder. I think she may roll on someone, but I honestly think she's been bonded so low for a reason. I think they are trying to use her to find others. She was at the Starbucks by the mall the other day and the press was all over her, smug as usual.

This makes absolutely no sense. When you want someone to roll over on someone, you put them in jail on big charges and squeeze!!!! Starbucks!! If she has someone big to roll over on, she better keep her head down and out of the mall. LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BILLINGS, PAMELA!!!! JMO

[cece]

Great work monkeys & thanks for the updates.  Thank you IM for all your input.  Hope everyone is enjoying their afternoon.

[cece]

http://www.pnj.com/article/20090723/NEWS01/907230319

Billings investigation's public phase ending
No arrests expected this week; sheriff to curtail conferences
Kris Wernowsky • kwernowsky@pnj.com • July 23, 2009

A Sheriff's Office spokesman said he expects no new arrests this week in the slayings of Byrd and Melanie Billings.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said in an interview earlier this week that he expected a ninth arrest in the double homicide by midweek or the week's end.

"Investigations change. As far as I know, there are no new arrests expected in the near future," spokesman Sgt. Ted Roy said in an interview Wednesday.

Roy also said Wednesday that Morgan is pulling out of the public spotlight in the coming days at the insistence of investigators and the State Attorney's Office.

Morgan has made several national media appearances and held multiple daily news conferences since the Billings murders, but Roy said he won't make additional appearances in order to "quell rumors."

The couple were shot to death July 9 in their Beulah home with nine of their adopted special-needs children in the home.

Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr. and six other men dressed like ninjas staged a daylight raid on the Billingses' Mobile Highway residence, according to arrest warrants.

The couple were found dead in their bedroom, and a safe — containing paperwork, heirloom jewelry and children's prescriptions — was taken from the house.

The safe was recovered from the backyard of Pamela Wiggins' Gulf Breeze home. She is charged as an accessory after the fact in the case.

During a brief news conference Wednesday, Billings family attorney Crystal Collins Spencer declined to say whether a second safe or money was left in the home.

She did confirm Gonzalez Jr.'s statement to investigators that Byrd Billings made a donation to his martial arts program. Gonzalez Jr. headed Project FIGHTBACK, which taught self-defense to children.

Spencer said the donation likely was less than $1,000 and no record of it has been found.

"He made a donation in a nominal amount," Spencer said. "That would not have been out of his character."

Gonzalez and the seven men accused in the raid are charged with two open counts of murder. The five men who allegedly entered the home also are charged with home invasion.

Ten guns and several boxes of ammunition were taken from Wiggins' home on Ramblewood Drive in Gulf Breeze, according to search warrants. The owner of the guns isn't known yet, Roy said.

Those weapons now are in the possession of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, where they are undergoing ballistics tests, Roy said.

During the 30-minute news conference Wednesday, Spencer said that family matriarch Ashley Markham and her husband, Blue, are adjusting to caring for the nine children. The children still are making the transition back into the home where their parents were slain.

She asked members of the media to respect the family's privacy as they settled into the home.

Friends and family worked to help replace the carpet and clean the house before the children returned. The house locks have been changed, she said.

"The children are doing remarkably well given what they have gone through," Spencer said.

[Fanny Mae]

Hi Cece and thank you.

OK Folks!! This has got my hinky meter way off the charts now! What's going on?? Why are they sitting on the Sheriff?? And Pamela goes to Starbucks!!! Next thing you know she will be making the rounds on the Today Show, LKL, and staying at the Ritz!!! Come on! Dig, people dig. There is way more to this. Way more. 

[cece]

Hi Cece and thank you.

OK Folks!! This has got my hinky meter way off the charts now! What's going on?? Why are they sitting on the Sheriff?? And Pamela goes to Starbucks!!! Next thing you know she will be making the rounds on the Today Show, LKL, and staying at the Ritz!!! Come on! Dig, people dig. There is way more to this. Way more. 

Hi Fanny Mae.   

I agree.  I don't know what is going on & don't know anything about that area, so I rely on you & IM & the other monkeys here to fill in those gaps.  I just went over to youtube to see if there were any recent videos about the case, & there are some bizzarroooo ones there.  I certainly wasn't going to open any video that was authored by someone named "terroristthreat"

[Fanny Mae]

Hi Cece and thank you.

OK Folks!! This has got my hinky meter way off the charts now! What's going on?? Why are they sitting on the Sheriff?? And Pamela goes to Starbucks!!! Next thing you know she will be making the rounds on the Today Show, LKL, and staying at the Ritz!!! Come on! Dig, people dig. There is way more to this. Way more. 

Hi Fanny Mae.   

I agree.  I don't know what is going on & don't know anything about that area, so I rely on you & IM & the other monkeys here to fill in those gaps.  I just went over to youtube to see if there were any recent videos about the case, & there are some bizzarroooo ones there.  I certainly wasn't going to open any video that was authored by someone named "terroristthreat"

  Can't say as I blame you. The gulf coast is notorious for criminal types and deals under the table, especially in the port areas. That means all the way from the Texas Coast and back along to the Florida coast. I don't believe this is a gang that couldn't shoot straight. There is so much more here. I want to know what. 

[cece]

http://ricksblog.biz/?p=6985

We found the State of Florida Uniform Commercial Code Financing Statement between Hispanic-American Auto Sales/Henry Tice and Worldco Financial Services.

It is for all the vehicle inventory, parts and accessories, etc at Hispanic-American Auto Sales.

[cece]

http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/billings-attorney-the-entire-story-will-be-told/201749/Jul-22-2009_7-05-pm/

By Jessica Taloney Reporter
Published: Wed, July 22, 2009 - 6:37 pm CST
Last Updated: Wed, July 22, 2009 - 7:05 pm CST

Billings’ Attorney: “The Entire Story Will Be Told”

During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, an attorney representing the Billings family told reporters the truth about the murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings will eventually be told.

"The entire story will be told," said Crystal Spencer. "There will be a time. It's just not right now."

Refusing to comment on a recent report that a second safe containing $100,000 was the intended target of the home invasion and double murder, Spencer said the Billings' children, who will return to the Beulah home where their parents were killed, are concerned about their safety.

CNN, citing a source close to the investigation, reported the thieves could not open the safe or carry it out of the house.

"That is a detail or part of the investigation that can not be released at this time," said Spencer. "There are a couple of issues here. We're talking about the privacy of the Billings-Markham family, and we're also talking about the safety of the Billings-Markham family."

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan also refused to comment on the report, saying he would only discuss items that were actually stolen from the Billings' home.

As we first reported last week, a safe that was taken during the home invasion contained passports, birth certificates, adoption papers, heirloom jewelery and medicines prescribed to the family.

During the same press conference, Spencer also rejected reports that Byrd Billings tried to cash in on his adopted children.

Byrd and Melanie Billings together raised 17 kids, 13 of which were adopted and have been described as having special needs or coming from at-risk situations.

In letters made public this week, Byrd Billings, who reportedly copyrighted the children's names, demanded $10,000,000 from several employees of the Florida Department of Children and Families for allegedly violating the copyright.

"One can look at it and try to read something very negatively," said Spencer when asked about the copyrights. "I believe got he got some bad advice. Someone told him if you copyright these names and capitalize them then you've created a right of privacy."

The Billings were murdered during a home invasion July 9. Seven people, including Leonard Gonzalez Junior, the alleged mastermind behind the crime, have been charged with murder. An eighth suspect, Pamela Long-Wiggins, is charged as an accessory after the crime.

[cece]

<a href="http://www.wkrg.com/news/video_external/billings-attorney-the-entire-story-will-be-told/201749/" target="_blank">http://www.wkrg.com/news/video_external/billings-attorney-the-entire-story-will-be-told/201749/</a>

I'm not sure I did this right, but here is the link where the video is:

http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/billings-attorney-the-entire-story-will-be-told/201749/Jul-22-2009_7-05-pm/

[cece]

Oops!  Messed that one up.  Sorry.   

[Fanny Mae]

http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/billings-attorney-the-entire-story-will-be-told/201749/Jul-22-2009_7-05-pm/

By Jessica Taloney Reporter
Published: Wed, July 22, 2009 - 6:37 pm CST
Last Updated: Wed, July 22, 2009 - 7:05 pm CST

Billings’ Attorney: “The Entire Story Will Be Told”

During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, an attorney representing the Billings family told reporters the truth about the murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings will eventually be told.

"The entire story will be told," said Crystal Spencer. "There will be a time. It's just not right now."

Refusing to comment on a recent report that a second safe containing $100,000 was the intended target of the home invasion and double murder, Spencer said the Billings' children, who will return to the Beulah home where their parents were killed, are concerned about their safety.

CNN, citing a source close to the investigation, reported the thieves could not open the safe or carry it out of the house.

"That is a detail or part of the investigation that can not be released at this time," said Spencer. "There are a couple of issues here. We're talking about the privacy of the Billings-Markham family, and we're also talking about the safety of the Billings-Markham family."

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan also refused to comment on the report, saying he would only discuss items that were actually stolen from the Billings' home.

As we first reported last week, a safe that was taken during the home invasion contained passports, birth certificates, adoption papers, heirloom jewelery and medicines prescribed to the family.

During the same press conference, Spencer also rejected reports that Byrd Billings tried to cash in on his adopted children.

Byrd and Melanie Billings together raised 17 kids, 13 of which were adopted and have been described as having special needs or coming from at-risk situations.

In letters made public this week, Byrd Billings, who reportedly copyrighted the children's names, demanded $10,000,000 from several employees of the Florida Department of Children and Families for allegedly violating the copyright.

"One can look at it and try to read something very negatively," said Spencer when asked about the copyrights. "I believe got he got some bad advice. Someone told him if you copyright these names and capitalize them then you've created a right of privacy."
The Billings were murdered during a home invasion July 9. Seven people, including Leonard Gonzalez Junior, the alleged mastermind behind the crime, have been charged with murder. An eighth suspect, Pamela Long-Wiggins, is charged as an accessory after the crime.

Isn't that the same thing that Cindy Anthony did, try to copyright the name Caylee Marie Anthony so nobody else could use it?

[cece]

http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/billings-attorney-the-entire-story-will-be-told/201749/Jul-22-2009_7-05-pm/

By Jessica Taloney Reporter
Published: Wed, July 22, 2009 - 6:37 pm CST
Last Updated: Wed, July 22, 2009 - 7:05 pm CST

Billings’ Attorney: “The Entire Story Will Be Told”

During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, an attorney representing the Billings family told reporters the truth about the murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings will eventually be told.

"The entire story will be told," said Crystal Spencer. "There will be a time. It's just not right now."

Refusing to comment on a recent report that a second safe containing $100,000 was the intended target of the home invasion and double murder, Spencer said the Billings' children, who will return to the Beulah home where their parents were killed, are concerned about their safety.

CNN, citing a source close to the investigation, reported the thieves could not open the safe or carry it out of the house.

"That is a detail or part of the investigation that can not be released at this time," said Spencer. "There are a couple of issues here. We're talking about the privacy of the Billings-Markham family, and we're also talking about the safety of the Billings-Markham family."

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan also refused to comment on the report, saying he would only discuss items that were actually stolen from the Billings' home.

As we first reported last week, a safe that was taken during the home invasion contained passports, birth certificates, adoption papers, heirloom jewelery and medicines prescribed to the family.

During the same press conference, Spencer also rejected reports that Byrd Billings tried to cash in on his adopted children.

Byrd and Melanie Billings together raised 17 kids, 13 of which were adopted and have been described as having special needs or coming from at-risk situations.

In letters made public this week, Byrd Billings, who reportedly copyrighted the children's names, demanded $10,000,000 from several employees of the Florida Department of Children and Families for allegedly violating the copyright.

"One can look at it and try to read something very negatively," said Spencer when asked about the copyrights. "I believe got he got some bad advice. Someone told him if you copyright these names and capitalize them then you've created a right of privacy."
The Billings were murdered during a home invasion July 9. Seven people, including Leonard Gonzalez Junior, the alleged mastermind behind the crime, have been charged with murder. An eighth suspect, Pamela Long-Wiggins, is charged as an accessory after the crime.

Isn't that the same thing that Cindy Anthony did, try to copyright the name Caylee Marie Anthony so nobody else could use it?

I think you're right about that Fanny Mae.  Leave it to Cindy! 

[islandmonkey]

Dateline NBC doing a piece on the murders, they've been in town for just a few days after the murders and still here digging around. 

[Fanny Mae]

Dateline NBC doing a piece on the murders, they've been in town for just a few days after the murders and still here digging around. 

Great!!    I hope it isn't a puff piece. Dateline usually isn't. 

[islandmonkey]

Dateline NBC doing a piece on the murders, they've been in town for just a few days after the murders and still here digging around. 

Great!!    I hope it isn't a puff piece. Dateline usually isn't. 

Usually not, and it's Keith Morrison.......I just can't wait to find out the "humdinger" part of the case. IMO, the sheriff wants to say more but is constrained-I don't know if you've noticed but the tension during those pressers last week between Morgan and the SA Eddin was palpable.