Fla. couple who adopted 12 children found slain

[cece]

http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/statements-evidence-released-in-billings-murder-case/269920/Aug-17-2009_8-14-pm/

In another statement released in the documents, investigators interviewed Justin Billings, Byrd and Melanie Billings' 20 year old son. The day after his parents were killed, Justin Billings told investigators he believed his parents' murders were contract killings, and he pointed his finger at a gang from Colorado.

"One of my friends from Colorado. He has, he has a rat that's part of a gang," Justin told investigators. "He said there was a hit in Florida that fit the description that I gave him."

The mother of Justin Billings' ex-girlfriend told detectives the 20 year old told her he paid someone $3,000 to protect her daughter, which Justin denied.

"I didn't pay anyone," he said.

"Then why would you say something like that," the detective asked. "To give her closure," Justin replied.

During the interview, investigators clearly became frustrated at one point saying "Bulls*** Justin. Justin, that's not gonna fly."

Justin Billings told investigators he believed the one person who would want his dad dead was Cab Tice. Tice, who Justin described as a former business partner who sold cars with his dad "down to Mexico", was arrested August 6 and charged with stealing thousands of dollars from one of Byrd Billings' businesses. Tice was named a person of interest, but he has not been charged in the murders.

Seven men, including Gonzalez, Jr., are charged with the Billings' murders. All seven are in jail with no bond. An eighth suspect, Pamela Long Wiggins, is charged as an accessory after the crime. Monday Wiggins was re-arrested after a judge raised her bond to $500,000.

News Five is reading every page of the discovery documents released Monday, and we will continue to report the latest details.

[cece]

http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/crime/Murder_Evidence_Turns_Up_In_Miss

MOSS POINT, Miss. (AP) - Evidence tied to the Billings murder case turned up at a home in Moss Point, Mississippi.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show guns were taken from a home on Frederick Street. Law enforcement said it's the home of Eddie Ray Denson.

"This is my mother's home," said Denson when we caught up to him coming out of the home.

FOX10 asked Denson about the guns allegedly found at the residence. Denson said someone he worked with gave them to him.

We also asked him who he worked with. "Hugh Wiggins, Pamela's husband. I didn't even know they are married though," added Denson.

Denson went on to say he was surprised to learn the link to the guns and the Billings murder.

"I am willing to work with authorities anyway I can," said Denson from the driveway of his mother's home in Moss Point.

[cece]

CBS morning show:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5251520n

[cece]

http://www.pnj.com/article/20090819/NEWS01/908190336/1037

Donnie Stallworth Jr. stands out in this group of con men, ex-cons and other troubled individuals.

He's a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Hurlburt Field. He's married, close to his family, a guy who returned often to his hometown of Brewton, Ala., after graduating from T.R. Miller High School in 1999.

So why is he in jail, one of seven men charged with first-degree murder in the killings of Byrd and Melanie Billings?

We get clues from statements that friends and relatives made to investigators looking into the July 9 killings.

"He said he did something really bad and that he needed to be a man and own up to his actions," said his wife, Tasha Marie Horn Stallworth.

She said her husband inexplicably became withdrawn after returning home late on the night of July 9. Then he began weeping July 12 when he saw a television report about suspects in the Billings' case.

"His face changed and I was like, wow, this is really affecting him," she said.

Eventually, she realized her husband had been involved.

"I fell to my knees and I went crazy and I beat the (expletive) out of him and I told him you turn yourself in right now," she recalled.

His parents were called to get him. They brought him to Brewton, where he surrendered.

There, his mother, Brenda Stallworth, told officers, "All he (is) doing is crying" but he wouldn't say what he had done.
Another side

Marquita Scruggs, however, reported another side of Donnie Stallworth Jr.

Scruggs, who is stationed at Hurlburt and described herself as Stallworth's friend, said he told her a few days ahead of time that he would be involved in a robbery.

He asked her to leave the back door of her house open so he could put a safe inside and promised to give her a few hundred dollars for helping him.

"I'm a single parent," she said. "I always need money for anything."

At one point, he told her he was involved in a robbery which netted $300,000; his share would be $70,000.

His tune changed later. He told her "he was scared and unable to sleep."

Saying goodbye
Before Donnie Stallworth went to jail, he said goodbye to his children.

"He said daddy did something bad and don't ever make bad decisions when you grow up..." Tasha Stallworth said in a tape-recorded statement. "And my 7-year-old went ... to the car with him holding hands and said, 'Daddy, please don't leave.' "

[cece]

http://www.pnj.com/article/20090819/NEWS01/908190347/1006

As the prosecution in the Billings murder case releases more information, details about the relationship between the alleged ringleader in the crime and the slain family remain unclear.

Court documents released this week show at least one past business connection between Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., the alleged "mastermind" of the crime, and Byrd Billings, but details of other suggested connections remain foggy.

According to interviews conducted during the investigation:

n Gonzalez Jr.'s wife, Tabatha Gonzalez, said Billings once donated $5,000 to Gonzalez Jr.'s nonprofit organization, Project Fight Back. She said they later asked Billings for a business loan to support their floundering martial-arts studio in Pace, but Billings declined.

"He said right in the business plan that he didn't think it was a good investment," she said in an interview with homicide investigators.

Tabatha Gonzalez said she had never been to the Billingses' house, and their relationship remained professional.

n According to several sources, at the time of the killings, Gonzalez Jr. was good friends with Henry "Cab" Tice, whom he knew through the used-car business. Tice told investigators he was a former business associate of Byrd Billings. About a year and a half ago, Tice and Billings had a falling out over unpaid debts that Tice owed Billings' finance company, Worldco Financial Services.

Other statements about Billings' past connections to Gonzalez Jr. are frequently conflicting and less certain.

n Gonzalez Jr. told investigators that he and Justin Billings, Byrd Billings' adopted son, once worked together at a car lot and had "done jobs together" for dealers who had problems getting payment from customers.

It is unclear from court records whether Justin Billings and Gonzalez Jr. ever worked together.

n Tice told investigators that the money Byrd Billings gave to Gonzalez Jr. for Project Fight Back was a loan, not a gift, and Billings had tried without luck to collect the debt from Gonzalez Jr.

"Bud Billings wouldn't give you a dime unless he got 29 cents back ... he never paid Bud back that money was not a gift," Tice said.
(2 of 2)

n Gonzalez Jr. told investigators that Tice came to him before the killings and said a group of local car dealers wanted Byrd Billings "whacked" due to past business dealings. Gonzalez Jr. told investigators he declined to participate in a murder.
Advertisement

During the course of the investigation, many people told investigators that Gonzalez Jr. made references to the Billings family in the days leading up to the crime.

Among the comments:

n Gonzalez Jr. approached several people asking if they would participate in some type of "job" to get a safe.

n One of the people asked to participate, Lonnie Smith, said Gonzalez Jr. had attempted to rob the Billingses about a month before the murders, but fled when security lights activated as he approached the house in a vehicle with two accomplices.

"He said he already went to go try to do it one time and he drove down the driveway and ... when he started going down the driveway, he said the lights on the house lit up like a Christmas tree, I guess because of the security system ... and he said he threw it in reverse and took off," Smith said.

n Another person Gonzalez Jr. allegedly asked for help was Jimmy Seaton, 45, of Pensacola, who had recently been released from jail on DUI charges. Seaton said he knew Gonzalez Jr. through the car business and was approached by him near the end of June.

"He was talking about, 'Did I know anybody that I was in jail with that would be willing to help him out with a project.' And I was like, 'Not really,' " Seaton said.

"A few days later he approached me again about the fact that he had found somebody that had like 2 kilos of coke and that if I would get involved with driving them to these people's house, he would take care of everything else."

He said the only two problems are they got dogs and they got video cameras," Seaton said.

n Gonzalez Jr's stepmother, Carol Brant, said that for about two months leading up to the murders, Gonzalez Jr. had been planning a robbery. Brant said she overheard conversations where Gonzalez Jr. discussed doing a "job" on a house off of Mobile Highway. Gonzalez Jr. said the house contained a safe with $2 million and a "bunch of cocaine."

n Brant said that late in the planning process, Gonzalez Jr. recruited her husband, Leonard Gonzalez Sr., to participate in the robbery. She said that the morning after the murders, she saw her husband looking at the news and he said: "I think they got shot."

[cece]

http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/fla.-couples-slaying-a-contract-hit/273823/Aug-19-2009_9-54-am/

(snipped)

On "The Early Show" Wednesday, Escambia County, Fla. Sheriff David Morgan said, "We never at any time discounted ... the possibility ... that this could have, in fact, been a conspiracy and it could have also been a contract killing.

" ... One of the most bizarre things about this case is there seems to be no conclusion to it, because of the number of people that are, in fact, involved. Every day, we end up with two or three additional people we need to interview. That's the conspiracy part of this case. ... The level of proof to get probable cause to effect an arrest for conspiracy is much, much higher. That's why this case has slowed to this point.

"We're still working on that area of the investigation. We're identifying the numbers of people who actually had knowledge that the Billings' home was going to be invaded, if you will. There are several people who may not have known it would eventually result in a murder, but we know that the web of people who had knowledge of this is very large."

[kc1234]

Ok,  I've read the documents that were released.  Wow, losts of info, many angles and many more people.  So, I think I need to go back and review them again to make sure I didn't miss anything.  Here are some of my initial thoughts:
1.  I think the son, Justin, was involved because but he knew LPG Jr and Tice, he was hiding information from the police and appeared to be evasive. When the nurse came to the house she noticed that the dogs were nowhere to be found and that they were not barking.  Also, one of his GF's mothers stated that her daughter was living with Justin in a trailer and that her daughter was on the property at the time of the crime.  Justin helped the police get the videos, what if he set it up so he wasn't on camera when he disposed of the dogs?  Justin claimed to the GF’s mother that he paid for her safety.
2. I think Hugh Wiggins had a higher role than PLW.  Hugh was at all of the meetings and Pam sat out on at least one of them.  Hugh got rid of the weapons, he allegedly ran weapons, had a friend willing to watch his guns and the friend gets a hotel room in his name, drives them to a hotel and leaves their car in a convenience store parking lot.  I'm not saying PLW is innocent, but I think Hugh is the bigger culprit among those two.  I hope they were able to get Hugh to admit who hired the hit, otherwise, I hope his immunity doesn't cover the planning of the robbery/hit.
3. Tice is lying too much.  He has to be involved somehow.  I think the Mexican Mafia is just a red herring created by Tice to get the heat off of him.  Even if he owed the Mafia $1500, that has nothing to do with how this robbery/murder when down.  I think Tice's mention of Homeland Security was also a red herring in an attempt to divert attention.
4. Who is the mystery man Mr Manatat (sp?)? 
5. I think there was money in the stolen safe.  I don't think it will ever be proven because a) the crooks won't admit what they stole because it will make them more culpable for the murder charge, b) the victims family won't admit because it would tarnish the family business and more questions will be raised on how Bud got the money and why he kept in his house instead of a bank.
6. Tice and JPG Jr owed Bud money.  That sounds like motive to me.  Maybe the hit came from higher up, but Tice and JPG Jr have a significant motive.
Whew, my brain needs a rest after this!

[islandmonkey]

ESCAMBIA COUNTY - We're learning more about why multiple agencies from both inside the country and out are looking into the Billings murder case.

One of the statements Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Junior made to an investigator early on suggested he had been hired to kill people in the past.

Tuesday... Sheriff David Morgan confirmed that other agencies are looking for possible connections between Gonzalez Junior and other death investigations.

Dan Thomas/Reporter: "Is he the subject of any other death investigations that you know of?" Sheriff David Morgan/Escambia County: "We have received some inquiries from some other law enforcement agencies in the United States and outside the United States as it applies to this gentleman and we're providing that information to other law enforcement agencies."

Morgan also said that law enforcement agencies from central and south Florida are asking about the case... Because they too had home invasions where the suspects dressed like ninjas.

http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_3394.shtml





kc1234~
Like you I read all the discovery and my eyes are crossing and my brain is fried

[cece]

Ok,  I've read the documents that were released.  Wow, losts of info, many angles and many more people.  So, I think I need to go back and review them again to make sure I didn't miss anything.  Here are some of my initial thoughts:
1.  I think the son, Justin, was involved because but he knew LPG Jr and Tice, he was hiding information from the police and appeared to be evasive. When the nurse came to the house she noticed that the dogs were nowhere to be found and that they were not barking.  Also, one of his GF's mothers stated that her daughter was living with Justin in a trailer and that her daughter was on the property at the time of the crime.  Justin helped the police get the videos, what if he set it up so he wasn't on camera when he disposed of the dogs?  Justin claimed to the GF’s mother that he paid for her safety.
2. I think Hugh Wiggins had a higher role than PLW.  Hugh was at all of the meetings and Pam sat out on at least one of them.  Hugh got rid of the weapons, he allegedly ran weapons, had a friend willing to watch his guns and the friend gets a hotel room in his name, drives them to a hotel and leaves their car in a convenience store parking lot.  I'm not saying PLW is innocent, but I think Hugh is the bigger culprit among those two.  I hope they were able to get Hugh to admit who hired the hit, otherwise, I hope his immunity doesn't cover the planning of the robbery/hit.
3. Tice is lying too much.  He has to be involved somehow.  I think the Mexican Mafia is just a red herring created by Tice to get the heat off of him.  Even if he owed the Mafia $1500, that has nothing to do with how this robbery/murder when down.  I think Tice's mention of Homeland Security was also a red herring in an attempt to divert attention.
4. Who is the mystery man Mr Manatat (sp?)? 
5. I think there was money in the stolen safe.  I don't think it will ever be proven because a) the crooks won't admit what they stole because it will make them more culpable for the murder charge, b) the victims family won't admit because it would tarnish the family business and more questions will be raised on how Bud got the money and why he kept in his house instead of a bank.
6. Tice and JPG Jr owed Bud money.  That sounds like motive to me.  Maybe the hit came from higher up, but Tice and JPG Jr have a significant motive.
Whew, my brain needs a rest after this!

Great work kc!   

I haven't read but a little of the documents yet.  I'm saving them for the weekend when I have more time.  But you have given me a lot of info!

Was Justin the son that Byrd sued for child support?  I wonder if he was the one (if he is involved) that was to turn off the security system.  Maybe?

Hugh Wiggins has "limited" immunity, I think.  So they may be able to bring charges against him if they have other evidence (other than his statement) implicating him.  I'm not sure how that works.

I don't have a clue who Mr. Manatat is.  But I hope we find out.

Thank you for the great work! 

[cece]

ESCAMBIA COUNTY - We're learning more about why multiple agencies from both inside the country and out are looking into the Billings murder case.

One of the statements Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Junior made to an investigator early on suggested he had been hired to kill people in the past.

Tuesday... Sheriff David Morgan confirmed that other agencies are looking for possible connections between Gonzalez Junior and other death investigations.

Dan Thomas/Reporter: "Is he the subject of any other death investigations that you know of?" Sheriff David Morgan/Escambia County: "We have received some inquiries from some other law enforcement agencies in the United States and outside the United States as it applies to this gentleman and we're providing that information to other law enforcement agencies."

Morgan also said that law enforcement agencies from central and south Florida are asking about the case... Because they too had home invasions where the suspects dressed like ninjas.

http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_3394.shtml





kc1234~
Like you I read all the discovery and my eyes are crossing and my brain is fried

Thank you IM.   

[cece]

http://www.theledger.com/article/20090818/NEWS/908185048/1373/NEWS3650?Title=Two-Murder-Theory-Has-Pensacola-Buzzing

Two-Murder Theory Has Pensacola Buzzing
Local blogger publicly explores "underbelly" of N. Fla. community.

[cece]

http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/florida/Gun_Trail_Leads_Deputies_To_Moss_Point

snipped:

Investigators say Hugh Wiggins has been a person of interest in the Billings murder case since day one.

[cece]

It is time for me to log off.  I hope any missing Monkey friends will return to help us sort through all this. 

[Magnolia]

I think Justin and Hugh Wiggins are more involved than we know.

Found this interesting from Ricksblog.

 JLV says:
August 19, 2009 at 4:23 pm
i have to say, the more i read ………..
jogged the memory on an event that happened a few years back. my husband was threatened by the son of a used car dealer in ft. walton, “remember the mobile commissioner they found under that house? i can see you get put there too!”
is this EVEN bigger than big everyone thinks?

[kc1234]

Ok,  I've read the documents that were released.  Wow, losts of info, many angles and many more people.  So, I think I need to go back and review them again to make sure I didn't miss anything.  Here are some of my initial thoughts:
1.  I think the son, Justin, was involved because but he knew LPG Jr and Tice, he was hiding information from the police and appeared to be evasive. When the nurse came to the house she noticed that the dogs were nowhere to be found and that they were not barking.  Also, one of his GF's mothers stated that her daughter was living with Justin in a trailer and that her daughter was on the property at the time of the crime.  Justin helped the police get the videos, what if he set it up so he wasn't on camera when he disposed of the dogs?  Justin claimed to the GF’s mother that he paid for her safety.
2. I think Hugh Wiggins had a higher role than PLW.  Hugh was at all of the meetings and Pam sat out on at least one of them.  Hugh got rid of the weapons, he allegedly ran weapons, had a friend willing to watch his guns and the friend gets a hotel room in his name, drives them to a hotel and leaves their car in a convenience store parking lot.  I'm not saying PLW is innocent, but I think Hugh is the bigger culprit among those two.  I hope they were able to get Hugh to admit who hired the hit, otherwise, I hope his immunity doesn't cover the planning of the robbery/hit.
3. Tice is lying too much.  He has to be involved somehow.  I think the Mexican Mafia is just a red herring created by Tice to get the heat off of him.  Even if he owed the Mafia $1500, that has nothing to do with how this robbery/murder when down.  I think Tice's mention of Homeland Security was also a red herring in an attempt to divert attention.
4. Who is the mystery man Mr Manatat (sp?)? 
5. I think there was money in the stolen safe.  I don't think it will ever be proven because a) the crooks won't admit what they stole because it will make them more culpable for the murder charge, b) the victims family won't admit because it would tarnish the family business and more questions will be raised on how Bud got the money and why he kept in his house instead of a bank.
6. Tice and JPG Jr owed Bud money.  That sounds like motive to me.  Maybe the hit came from higher up, but Tice and JPG Jr have a significant motive.
Whew, my brain needs a rest after this!

Great work kc!   

I haven't read but a little of the documents yet.  I'm saving them for the weekend when I have more time.  But you have given me a lot of info!

Was Justin the son that Byrd sued for child support?  I wonder if he was the one (if he is involved) that was to turn off the security system.  Maybe?

Hugh Wiggins has "limited" immunity, I think.  So they may be able to bring charges against him if they have other evidence (other than his statement) implicating him.  I'm not sure how that works.

I don't have a clue who Mr. Manatat is.  But I hope we find out.

Thank you for the great work! 

I am pretty certain that Justin is the one from the adoption fraud case.

[kc1234]

WEARTV thinks Justin is hiding something, too!  http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_3400.shtml

[MuffyBee]

WEARTV thinks Justin is hiding something, too!  http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_3400.shtml

Thank you for posting that link kc1234.  Very interesting.  This case just seems to get uglier and uglier the more that is revealed.  It's like peeling an onion, layer by layer.  I wonder just how many people really were involved in the murder of the Billing's, or had knowledge of at least some of the details and/or planning?  It appears there were a lot of people with at least some knowledge or idea something was going to go down, but it was kept quiet for a while.  How was that done?  Fear?  Money?  Hatred?  All or none of these, I don't know. 

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.wesh.com/news/20474633/detail.html
Hearing Slated In Slain Fla. Couple Case
Kin Trying To Stop Video Release

POSTED: 7:53 am EDT August 20, 2009
UPDATED: 8:33 am EDT August 20, 2009
PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A hearing is scheduled for a request by the family of a murdered Panhandle couple to stop the release of surveillance camera video from the couple's home to the media.

The hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Byrd and Melanie Billings were killed July 9 in a home invasion at their sprawling Escambia County estate while nine of their special needs adopted children were in the home. An extensive camera system captured some images of the crime.

An attorney for the family has said he is concerned about images of the young children and the bloody crime scene being made public.

So far, six men, a 16-year-old boy and a woman have been arrested in the complex case.

[islandmonkey]

Ok,  I've read the documents that were released.  Wow, losts of info, many angles and many more people.  So, I think I need to go back and review them again to make sure I didn't miss anything.  Here are some of my initial thoughts:
1.  I think the son, Justin, was involved because but he knew LPG Jr and Tice, he was hiding information from the police and appeared to be evasive. When the nurse came to the house she noticed that the dogs were nowhere to be found and that they were not barking.  Also, one of his GF's mothers stated that her daughter was living with Justin in a trailer and that her daughter was on the property at the time of the crime.  Justin helped the police get the videos, what if he set it up so he wasn't on camera when he disposed of the dogs?  Justin claimed to the GF’s mother that he paid for her safety.
2. I think Hugh Wiggins had a higher role than PLW.  Hugh was at all of the meetings and Pam sat out on at least one of them.  Hugh got rid of the weapons, he allegedly ran weapons, had a friend willing to watch his guns and the friend gets a hotel room in his name, drives them to a hotel and leaves their car in a convenience store parking lot.  I'm not saying PLW is innocent, but I think Hugh is the bigger culprit among those two.  I hope they were able to get Hugh to admit who hired the hit, otherwise, I hope his immunity doesn't cover the planning of the robbery/hit.
3. Tice is lying too much.  He has to be involved somehow.  I think the Mexican Mafia is just a red herring created by Tice to get the heat off of him.  Even if he owed the Mafia $1500, that has nothing to do with how this robbery/murder when down.  I think Tice's mention of Homeland Security was also a red herring in an attempt to divert attention.
4. Who is the mystery man Mr Manatat (sp?)? 
5. I think there was money in the stolen safe.  I don't think it will ever be proven because a) the crooks won't admit what they stole because it will make them more culpable for the murder charge, b) the victims family won't admit because it would tarnish the family business and more questions will be raised on how Bud got the money and why he kept in his house instead of a bank.
6. Tice and JPG Jr owed Bud money.  That sounds like motive to me.  Maybe the hit came from higher up, but Tice and JPG Jr have a significant motive.
Whew, my brain needs a rest after this!

Great work kc!   

I haven't read but a little of the documents yet.  I'm saving them for the weekend when I have more time.  But you have given me a lot of info!

Was Justin the son that Byrd sued for child support?   I wonder if he was the one (if he is involved) that was to turn off the security system.  Maybe?

Hugh Wiggins has "limited" immunity, I think.  So they may be able to bring charges against him if they have other evidence (other than his statement) implicating him.  I'm not sure how that works.

I don't have a clue who Mr. Manatat is.  But I hope we find out.

Thank you for the great work! 

Morning~Justin is NOT the son sued for child support, he's the child that was the "adoption fraud" adoopted child. IIRc, Michael is the one who was sued for child support and he lives in SE Florida. I do however wonder if he had some knowledge before and with this case absolutely nothing would surprise me anymore.

[cece]

Morning~Justin is NOT the son sued for child support, he's the child that was the "adoption fraud" adoopted child. IIRc, Michael is the one who was sued for child support and he lives in SE Florida. I do however wonder if he had some knowledge before and with this case absolutely nothing would surprise me anymore.

Thank you IM.  I am getting confused with all the "players" in this one.   

Thank you all for the updates & links.