Three More Arrested In Billings Murder Case

Three more people were arrested Tuesday in the slayings of a wealthy Florida Panhandle couple during a break-in executed with swift precision. Florida Murder
by The Associated Press
Published: Tue, July 14, 2009 - 9:29 am CST Last Updated: Tue, July 14, 2009 - 7:24 pm CST
8:24 p.m.
Click here to read the arrest warrant for Leonard Gonzalez, Jr.

1:49 p.m.
The last three suspects arrested are:


28-year-old Donald Stallworth


19-year-old Fredrick Thornton


Rakeem Florence

10:29 a.m.
Three more people, including a 16-year-old, have been arrested in the murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings. The wealthy couple known for adopting special needs children was shot to death Thursday in their Beulah, Florida home.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan says 6 to 8 people were involved in the murders. As of Monday night, the Sheriff's Office had arrested four people; Leonard Gonzalez Sr., Leonard Gonzalez Jr, Wayne Coldiron, and Gary Sumner.

Monday afternoon, a judge set bond at $500,000 for Leonard Gonzalez Sr. So far, he's only charged with tampering with evidence.

Leonard Gonzalez Jr, Wayne Coldiron, and Gary Sumner are all charged with two counts of murder. Gonzalez Jr and Coldiron will be in court this afternoon for a bond hearing.

Like Sumner, two of the latest suspects were arrested in Okaloosa County.

Florida State Attorney Bill Eddins says the motive for the crime was home invasion/robbery. He says a safe was taken from the home, along with other items you typically see taken during a robbery. Sheriff Morgan says practice and planning went into the home invasion.

Sheriff Morgan says Leonard Gonzalez Jr was the ring leader and that some of the suspects have confessed.

The last four suspects arrested all worked at an auto detailing shop in Okaloosa County. Some of the other murder suspects had been hired at one time or another to do work around the Billings' home.

Eddins says charges against Leonard Gonzalez Sr will be upgraded from tampering with evidence to murder. He also says he will seek first-degree murder charges against all seven suspects.

News 5 first reported this story as BREAKING NEWS on wkrg.com.
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smason Says:
Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 8:06 pm

I wonder what these guys were going to do after the robbery- split the loot 18 different ways?? What did the family have that was so valuable that it was worth enlisting all these men?

I am so glad LE are bringing these guys in one after the other and getting them off the streets!

Always be careful of who you hire for help in or around your house!

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goldie Says:
Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 7:15 pm

very sad

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linda1990 Says:
Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 7:08 pm

What did they do? Advertise for help in this robbery-murder.  How did they get so many dopes to participate in this foolish venture?  Who is the idiot that planned this tomfoolery?  Too many questions.  I believe something besides robbery and murder was involved.

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jmorganal Says:
Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 2:02 pm

Looks like Senior Gonzales should serve the rest of his life behind bars for tampering with evidence in a murder case.  Bye-bye.

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Mike x51 Says:
Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 1:19 pm

lol a crackhead A-Team!  I pitty da fool who don’t give Mr.T $5 for a rock!

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ickthus Says:
Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 1:00 pm

working ok for me. try and reset your puter by dumping temp files and reboot. registry checker and anti-viris check…

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rmseek1234 Says:
Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 12:37 pm

Is anyone else having problems with the pages loading???? I can only get part of the page. Cannot access forums, etc. HELP DAVID!!!!!

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ickthus Says:
Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 11:40 am

looks like it was the crackhead A-team

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FLOWERCHILD Says:
Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 11:31 am

A robbery that went from bad to worse.  This is horrible.  I wonder if all had immigration ID or if they were here illegaly.

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cmb1 Says:
Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 10:11 am

This is so sad, Thank heavens these people had cameras or they may have never caught them. Motive? I still think there is more than just robbery? A car deal gone bad? Repo? Loan?

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Related Topics

florida, murder, escambia county sheriffs office, beulah, byrd billings, melanie billings, billings murder, wayne coldiron, leonard gonzalez jr, gary sumner, leonard gonzalez sr,