by CBS News
Published: Wed, August 19, 2009 - 8:53 am CST
(CBS) The double murder of a wealthy couple shocked Pensacola, Fla. last month, and newly-emerging details are painting an ever-more complex picture of Byrd and Melanie Billings and their possible killers.
The Billings were known for having adopted many special needs kids.
Although eight people have been arrested for the grisly murders of the couple, the case is not yet solved, and robbery may not have been the only motive.
Newly released police documents suggest Byrd billings, a used car salesman, had enemies, according to the Pensacola News Journal.
"He repossessed people's cars," says Kris Wernowsky, a court reporter for the newspaper, "and ... had a reputation of being something of a ruthless businessman."
Police are also investigating accusations that fellow car dealer Henry "Cab" Tice had some kind of some role in the murders, reports CBS News Correspondent Kelly Cobiella.. Tice has not been arrested, but has been called a person of interest.
"Henry Tice -- he's a former business associate of Byrd Billings, says Wernowsky, "and the two of them had had a falling out some time ago," says Wernowsky.
Tice also had a connection to the accused triggerman, Leonard Patrick Gonzales Jr.
"Mr. Tice is also considered to have sort of a father-son relationship with Leonard Gonzales Jr.," says Wernowsky.
Gonzalez, in his own statement to police, denies that he committed the murder, but made shocking claims that there may have been a contract hit out on Billings.
"He made a statement that several local auto dealers wanted Byrd Billings whacked," says Wernowsky.
The full truth behind the Billings' deaths continues to elude police as they press on in the investigation, Cobiella says.
"There's a lot of interconnectivity among these people, and how it played out is still a mystery," observes Wernowsky.
Police have said nine of the Billings' 17 children were home during the slayings, and several were believed to have seen the gunmen, but so far, on-the-record reports from police are providing many more questions than answers, Cobiella adds.
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."
Statements, Evidence Released In Billings Murder Case
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