Second Safe In Billings Home Contained $100,000

Florida Murder Citing a source familiar with the investigation CNN says the suspects in the murder of Byrd & Melanie Billings believed the safe was the mother lode of valuables at the house but were unable to get into it.

Published: Wed, July 22, 2009 - 10:55 am CST

PENSACOLA, Florida (CNN) -- A safe found in the home of a slain Florida couple known for adopting special-needs children contained about $100,000, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN late Tuesday.

Byrd and Melanie Billings, known for adopting special-needs children, were laid to rest Friday.

The safe is the second one belonging to Byrd and Melanie Billings of Beulah, Florida. The source said the suspects in the Billingses' shooting deaths believed the safe was the mother lode of valuables at the house, but were unable to get into it.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan would not confirm existence of a second safe and said he was "not at liberty to address that issue."

"I can only confirm the items we know were removed from the Billings home," Morgan said -- a small safe that contained prescription medication, family documents and some jewelry, and a briefcase that contained nothing significant.

Billings family attorney Crystal Spencer told CNN she had no comment because of the ongoing investigation.

Police have said a safe containing prescription medication, family documents and some jewelry was taken from the Billings home at the time of the slayings. It was found in a suspect's backyard, buried with bricks on top in what Morgan said was an "obvious attempt to conceal it."

The Billingses had adopted 13 children, and each had two biological children. Police have said nine of the children were home at the time of the home invasion; one of them managed to flee and seek help from a neighbor.

Melanie Billings' daughter, Ashley Markham, said she is in the process of moving into the couple's home to take care of the children. "That decision was a request of my mother's. ... And we're going to honor her wishes and just do everything that she would have done," she said.

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4thekids35 Says:

Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 12:14 am

that’s only about 12 thousand split 8 diff ways…they lost their freedom for pennies! they will prob die in jail or by lethal injection…dumb!

northcountygirl Says:

Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 2:21 pm

Amazing what money will make some people do!

DT Says:

Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 2:11 pm

Maybe all involved were given the idea that it contained a lot more from the key person and assumed they would be hitting it big.

wgarey Says:

Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 2:07 pm

Talk about “The Usual Suspects”.

FLOWERCHILD Says:

Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 1:30 pm

You’re right lovepeace, it isn’t a lot to split so many ways. I wonder if there is something else they were after. What could have been going through their minds to even try to pull something like this off with so many people involved and was the killing premeditated or something that was decided upon entering the home? There are a lot of questions that we may never know the answer to.

lovepeace Says:

Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 1:06 pm

This makes a little more sense, but still… That’s not a lot of money to be split so many ways. Doesn’t seem even remotely worth the effort and risk and pain and suffering caused to the victims’ loved ones (not that they care about that). There are much easier ways to make ten grand a piece! This is ridiculous!

FLOWERCHILD Says:

Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 11:05 am

Looks like these guys didn’t get the right safe. This is a heist gone bad - they got the wrong safe, someone who was suppose to disable the alarm and everyone seems to be spilling their guts. Hope they all get what they deserve - to never walk free again.