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Murder of Florida Couple Could've Been a Contract Hit

Two sources with direct knowledge of the situation, and who requested anonymity fearing possible reprisals, told the Web site Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr. informed authorities he was paid to kill Byrd and Melanie Billings.
snipped
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,534270,00.html

This story references a story on The Daily Beast which was written by Rick Outzen of the same Rick's Blog that was posted here on July 19th:
http://ricksblog.biz/?p=6883
 
Article from PNJ - Wednesday, July 22, 2009

(Quote)
Suspects: Gonalez the Only Shooter

Leonard Gonzalez Jr. pulled the trigger of the 9 mm pistol that killed Byrd and Melanie Billings, search warrant affidavits claim.

Wayne Coldiron and Frederick Thornton Jr., both charged with open counts of murder and a count of home invasion, told investigators that they saw Gonzalez Jr. kill the couple, according to search warrants filed in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

One of the Billingses was shot to death after their hands were bound by plastic zip ties, but the court documents didn't specify which.
(End Quote)

http://www.pnj.com/article/20090722/NEWS01/907220336
 
Article from PNJ - Wednesday, July 22, 2009

(Quote)
Suspects: Gonalez the Only Shooter

Leonard Gonzalez Jr. pulled the trigger of the 9 mm pistol that killed Byrd and Melanie Billings, search warrant affidavits claim.

Wayne Coldiron and Frederick Thornton Jr., both charged with open counts of murder and a count of home invasion, told investigators that they saw Gonzalez Jr. kill the couple, according to search warrants filed in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

One of the Billingses was shot to death after their hands were bound by plastic zip ties, but the court documents didn't specify which.
(End Quote)

Read more here . . .
http://www.pnj.com/article/20090722/...907220336/1051

The above link doesn't work anymore - here's the correct one.

http://www.pnj.com/article/20090722/NEWS01/907220336
 
ESCAMBIA COUNTY - During a news conference by the Billings family attorney Wednesday... Many questions came up about Byrd Billings' background.

Byrd and his wife Melanie were gunned down inside their home two weeks ago.

One of the family's businesses, Worldco Financial, was the subject of two state investigations years ago.

Channel Three's Grace White joins us with the details.

Both the cases are closed and Billings family attorney Crystal Spencer says all the issues were resolved.

But the state did order the Billings to refund thousands of dollars to their customers.
(snipped)

http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_2895.shtml
 
Spencer: Billings children 'doing fine'

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A slain Florida couple made a small donation to a martial arts program run by one of the men accused of killing them, a family attorney said Wednesday.

Byrd and Melanie Billings were shot to death earlier this month during a break-in at their home west of Pensacola. The couple was known for adopting 13 children with special needs.

One of the suspects in the slaying, Leonard Gonzalez Jr., told investigators he had opened a martial arts studio with financial help from the victims, according to court records released this week.

But family attorney Crystal Spencer told reporters Wednesday that the aid was just a small donation by Byrd, probably less than $1,000, to a self-defense program Gonzalez ran.

(snipped)

http://www.pnj.com/article/20090722/NEWS01/90722014
 
Stallworth, Sumner had local ties
Written by Christine O'Connor
Wednesday, 22 July 2009

For weeks now, the media has swarmed Pensacola and the town of Beulah, trying to wrap its head around the slayings of Byrd and Melanie Billings.

The couple, most known for adopting special needs children, was brutally gunned down in a home invasion July 9 around 7 p.m.

Conflicting reports of possible ties between Byrd and Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., 35, are emerging. According to one published report, the murders may have been a contract hit worth nearly $30,000. The hit was the result of a loan issued by Byrd to Gonzalez Jr., to open a self defense school.

However, Crystal Spencer, attorney for the Billings’ children, has stressed that no relationship prior to the murders existed between the two..
(snipped)

http://www.navarrepress.com/200907221555/splash-articles/splash-art/billings-murder-|-navarrepresscom.html
 
Two more arrested in double murder case
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Donald Stallworth, 28, is sitting in an Escambia County, Alabama jail fighting extradition back to Florida. He will be there for at least the next 24 days, charged with two open counts of murder in the home invasion and double murder July 9 at 7:30 p.m. of Byrd and Melanie Billings of Beulah. A hearing was held in circuit court in Alabama Monday, and probable cause was shown to have him charged as the eighth suspect involved in the case.

Stallworth is a staff sergeant in the Air Force, stationed at Hurlburt Field as part of the Special Operations Maintenance Squadron.

The Escambia County Sheriff's Office reported Monday that they expect a ninth and possibly a 10th arrest to be made in the case later this week. Investigators said Monday they are still trying to figure out who may have been tasked with turning off the home security system that did not get turned off when the home invasion was underway. According to official law enforcement reports, the robbery suspects thought the security system had been disabled. That security system and surveillance cameras led police to the suspects.

By press time, the Escambia Sheriff Office is still saying robbery was the "main motive" in the home invasion.
.
(snipped)

http://www.gulfbreezenews.com/news/2009/0723/front_page/003.html

ETA: GB News is a weekly newspaper
 
Here's an explanation on why Billings had the kids names copyrighted.

From NorthEscambia.com

The Bizarre Billings Multi-Million Dollar Copyright Story

July 23, 2009

Byrd Billings had a plan — copyright the names of his children and charge anyone, including the government, millions each time they used one of the names.


Wednesday, Billings family attorney Crystal Spencer said she did not believe that Billings’ copyright claims were an attempt to get money, but rather an attempt to protect the privacy of his children.

“I think that he was given some incorrect advice,” Spencer said of Billings’ reasons for filing the court papers.

“I would not call them bizarre,” she said of his filings. “I would call them different…It was to protect the privacy of the children.”


http://www.northescambia.com/?p=9696
 
Double Homicide Rocks Community
by Rick Outzen
Behind the scenes of the Billings murder case

On the early evening of Thursday, July 9, seven men invaded the Beulah home of Byrd and Melanie Billings. Three men entered from the front door, two from a utility room door on the north side of the home. Within four minutes, the husband and wife were dead from multiple gunshot wounds. The intruders took a medium-sized safe and left quickly. They had been on the property less than 10 minutes, according to police reports.

In the Billings home were nine children, many with special needs. Three of the children actually saw the intruders, who were all dressed in ninja grab. After the men left, one ran to a neighbor's house and the Escambia County's Sheriff's Office was called to the scene.
(snipped)

http://inweekly.net/article.asp?artID=10439
 
The 'Face' Of A Suspected Killer

by Sean Boone
It wasn't long ago that people relied on high school reunions or awkward run-ins at the supermarket to catch up with forgotten friends.
But that was "so 1995."
Today, online social networking allows people to connect on a whole new level, a level on which one can find out what Jane Doe has been doing with her life for the past decade and also what she's buying at the store-long before you run into her on aisle eight.
When Facebook was introduced in 2004, it was known as the place for college kids to interact with one another while away at different schools.
It was the alternative to the other networking giant, Myspace, and held a somewhat "elitist" reputation because it required an approved school e-mail account to join.
That reputation was short-lived.
With the information age advancing in leaps and bounds with Blackberries, iPhones and other high-speed mobile devices, Facebook succumbed to the pressure of status updates and the trendiness of Twitter-eventually opening its doors to anyone with an e-mail account and creating the fastest growing interactive site on the planet.
."
(snipped)

http://inweekly.net/article.asp?artID=10437
 
PENSACOLA - More details have been revealed about Byrd Billings' business background.

In a news conference Wednesday... the Billings family attorney spoke about two state investigations into a family business... and the alleged "copywriting" scheme.

Between 2001 and 2004... Billings owned World-co Financial was investigated by the state twice.

(snipped)

http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_2904.shtml
 
Murder suspect loses military pay

BEULAH, Fla. - Sergeant Donnie Stallworth is still a member of the Untied States Air Force. However, he is not receiving a paycheck as he sits behind bars at the Escambia County, Alabama jail.

"When members are taken into confinement, they are no longer entitled to pay and allowances," said Staff Sergeant Mareshah Haynes.

Stallworth graduated from T.R. Miller High School in 1999. He's been active duty since 2000.

Military representatives say an airmen with his rank and experience makes $2,670 a month.

But when Stallworth was arrested more than two weeks ago in connection with the Billings murder, those payments stopped. If Stallworth is convicted, his time in the Air force will officially come to an end.

(snipped)

http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/crime/Murder_Suspect_Loses_Military_Pay
 
July 25: Dispite what the Sheriff's Office Spokesperson is telling us that the investigation is over and no more arrests are expected, Sheriff Morgan is stilll interviewing POI's and says "he still believes there is a suspect that was tasked with disabling the security system at the Billings’ home in Beulah, and he expects more arrests to come in the case."

http://www.northescambia.com/?p=9731
 
EXCLUSIVE: Behind The Scenes Of The Billings Case With Sheriff David Morgan

July 27, 2009

It was a chance meeting in the lobby of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department on July 10, the day after the murder of Byrd and Melanie Billings, that Sheriff David Morgan won’t forgot.

He does not use the lobby of the building often; on that day he just happened to be there when Ashley Markham, the Billings’ daughter, was being led inside to talk to investigators.

NorthEscambia.com sat down with Sheriff David Morgan Friday afternoon at his office for an exclusive interview to learn more about what the days since the Billings murders have been like for him personally.



The rest is in the link below

http://www.northescambia.com/?p=9752
 

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