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The Investigation Discovery series See No Evil covers the July 9, 2009 murders of Bud and Melanie Billings. reviewed surveillance tapes at a Walmart near Patricks home in Santa Rosa County, where they found footage of him purchasing the black boots and black clothing. As deputies searched the house, the couples nine adopted special needs children were found cowering in terror and hiding in closets. He was with three other men identified as Wayne Coldiron, Donnie Stallworth, and Gary Sumner, names that Leonard Gonzalez had revealed to authorities. Before running a used-car dealership in a run-down part of town, Byrd had been a strip club owner. Here is the synopsis: Mansion Murder Cam In Pensacola Florida, two loving parents are brutally gunned down in their own home. . The authorities had a lot to work with right away because the place was rigged with many security cameras. Melanie, Byrds wife, was twenty years younger than him. The safe was found on the property of Pamela Long-Wiggins, who was Leonard Jrs landlord. But after uncovering many questionable details, independent investigation blog Conjuring Justice is making a compelling case that proves that the perpetrators of the crime are still at large. The Mansion Murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings BY Tricia Romano Tweet Follow @crimelibrary Share Comments A Connection to the Family Never-before-seen video footage reveals a deadly boat ride that spurs the toppling of a powerful dynasty. For instance, the skin under Byrds fingers was there after he grabbed his killer. Two of the women were never found. 'Murder in Big Horn' MMIW documentary to premiere at Sundance. This is the most dangerous place for Native women in the country, explained Luella Brien in the series opening. He reached out to Benally, who was hesitant at first to work with a non-Native on a film about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. After seeing the nationally publicized case, Pensacola native, Jimmie Lee Staley started looking into the case and found some questionable details that had been left out. Some speculated that the Billings adopted children so that they could receive money from the government. He was known to keep cash stashed away in a home safe located upstairs. It provides a crash course in the scandals and deaths that have engulfed the old-money Murdaugh family for years, including a fatal boating accident, the mysterious deaths of a family housekeeper. But she never expected , Last year, scholarships were up to $10,000 for returning undergraduate applicants, up to $12,500 for graduate and professional students and up. But the Billings ended up being shot and killed. Authorities also learned that he had a power-washing business and had worked at the Billings home before. or call 1-508-505-INFO. This story is printed with the permission of the Montana Free Press. Ivan and Ivy produced Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible, an award-winning documentary about MMIW and resilience, and they have two other documentaries in post-production stages one on bison revitalization efforts on the Blackfeet Reservation and one on the MMIW crisis in the Blackfeet community. Since 2005, this award-winning blog has offered insights into the news and politics of Northwest Florida. The cop's only witness one that never lies surveillance cameras. With Michael Beach, Janine Turner, Dean Cain, Nick Searcy. The ongoing Murdaugh family saga exposes murders, a suspicious death and a complex labyrinth of corruption. Patrick would get the death penalty after a three-day trial. Keeping the community informed is important. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. On July 9, 2009, Bud and Melanie were killed by a murderous group of thugs. I have definitely experienced small-town law enforcement entities that are just unwilling to engage with the media for various reasons, Galkin said. A bill brought by Rep. Tyson Running Wolf on behalf of the State-Tribal Relations Committee aims to bolster these community-led search efforts. The Billings used them to monitor their children. Investigators learned that Bud Billings was a successful businessman who ran a finance company. The cop's only witness one that never lies surveillance cameras. Its what they must rely on, to catch the killers and bring them to justice. On July 9, 2009, gunmen broke into Melanie and Byrd "Bud" Billings' home and killed them while they lay in bed. The intruders were in and out of the house in less than five minutes. Theyd both been shot multiple times. More than 2 people lost their lives July 9, 2009. By Chuck Baldwin. The series, Murder in Big Horn, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January and will be available for streaming on Showtime Feb. 3, broken into three hour-long episodes. Please subscribe to keep reading. By the spring of 1989, the remains of nine victims had been discovered along the highways surrounding the city. [1] The suspects, dressed in "ninja garb," [2] stole a safe and other items during the break-in at the sprawling Billings home west of Pensacola. Anthony Aiello of San Jose, California, was 90 years old when the police of Santa Clara County arrested him for the suspected murder of his 67-year-old stepdaughter Karen Navarra. agreed to tell police everything he knew about the crime including who was in the van, provided prosecutors took a possible death penalty off the table, according to Floribama Murders., Detectives focused on the crime scene videos and observed the black boots worn by the home invaders. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Others have speculated that the murders may have been a hit. John Joseph Caylon III, 28, pleaded. All of them except Patrick Gonzalez agreed to plea deals, resulting in life sentences for Stallworth and Coldiron and lengthy prison terms for the others, according to Floribama Murders.. Officials and advocates say the cases are unique and dont appear to be related. Something doesnt, No , the murder happened in Ohio . This is emotion-driven. In 1988, eleven women vanished from the streets of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Tice adds a new link between the Billings couple and Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr., 35, who is charged in the murders and was called "pivotal person" by Morgan during the investigation. Ep 1 The Billings Murders. In the series, Winburn described certain obstacles, including family members who wanted their 15 minutes of fame, which he said put more pressure on the Big Horn County Sheriffs Office. However, it only contained some medicines, documents, and some jewelry. On July 11, a caller reported that a van matching the description of the one sheriffs were after was behind a shed at a residence in West Pensacola. We are not going to have answers, Benally said. It turned out that there was more to the Billings family than the all-American history that their prior media image implied. In Pensacola Florida, two loving parents are brutally gunned down in their own home. After Selena Not Afraids case made national headlines, Showtimes producers approached Galkin with a general pitch. Leonard Gonzalez told sheriffs that he was with six other men in the van, including Patrick. The Karate Killers on ID is investigating the truly shocking murders of husband and wife, Byrd Bud and Melanie Billings, who were butchered during a brutal home invasion at their home in Pensacola, Florida. This led the authorities to his son, Leonard Gonzalez Jr. Leonard Jr taught self-defense classes and had some previous contact with the Billingses. "We found that a. These are not true-crime stories to us. Through interviews with law enforcement, state medical examiners, tribal leaders and victims families, the documentary tells the story of several missing or murdered Indigenous women in Montana. Florence and Thornton ultimately agreed to testify against their co-conspirators, and Leonard Gonzalez was soon identified as the ringleader and the main gunman. He initially said the van belonged to his son, Patrick, and hadnt been running for a while. How do you give back to a community and support communities beyond collecting their stories? MacDonald asked. Were there shadier financial transactions happening in the shadows? He was with three other men identified as, Wayne Coldiron, Donnie Stallworth, and Gary Sumner, names. Tice was cleared when authorities reviewed surveillance footage from the Billings home. Examining the footage, it was clear that multiple suspects were involved in the burglary and it was exceptionally well planned. Also, some witnesses who pointed to Patrick as the gunman had claimed they had seen his face when the surveillance video showed that the gunmen had their masks on the whole time. And if we are going to tell the story, we want to do so through the families and the community and make sure that they were in charge of letting us know what they wanted to share with us.. We have all the questions in the world, and we dont have the answers.. Byrd was found face down by the foot of their bed. Murders at Moselle. The investigators were aided by the numerous surveillance cameras that were dotted throughout the Billings home. Investigators theorized that the Billings case was a money score for Wiggins but turned into a "robbery that went horrifically bad, said Morgan. Shes a journalist based in Hardin who grew up on the Crow Reservation and is the central narrator in the production. The suspects were caught on the familys surveillance system. Mrs. Gonzalez allowed detectives to take the shoe box and to tow the van. You have permission to edit this article. Authorities had five of the seven suspects in custody and as detectives prepared to question them, the remaining two suspects surfaced:Rakeem Florence and Frederick Thornton. The arrest would lead to several people put behind bars including Lenny. It seemed par for the course, and it also seemed like a conversation that was quite prevalent inside the sheriffs office and inside a lot of law enforcement in that area. Murder in Big Horn, a three-part documentary set on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations, will premiere at the internationally acclaimed Sundance Film Festival. The caller reported that a married couple had been shot in their home and that their children were still in the house. He remains incarcerated at the Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida, but owing to some legal matters, his apparent resentencing is pending. The MacDonald siblings have been working on documentary storytelling in the Indigenous community for years and are currently producing a documentary, When They Were Here, centered on families whose loved ones went missing or were found dead in the Blackfeet community in northwestern Montana. Byrd and Melanie Billings lived in Beulah, Florida, in a sprawling mansion with several children they had adopted. The man arrested was Leonard Lenny Gonzalez Sr., who later shared that the car belonged to his son Leonard Patrick Jr. After being apprehended, the state attorney declared that Leonard Sr. had admitted to the crime. This is the story of. Buddy Nesmith of Escambia Countys Sheriffs Office told producers. Weeks later, police were still trying to complete their understanding of the genesis of the scheme and connection of the suspects to the Billings family. 2. Such exploitation is familiar to Benally, who has observed non-Native filmmakers extracting stories from her community the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota for decades. I knew that going in, and I knew that because Matthew and I are not private investigators. We grow up thinking that survival is culture, and pretty soon we are doing things that we think are cultural practices, when really they are just survival techniques.. This is the story of, The Highway Murders . Working in Big Horn County, I dont believe MMIW is real, he added. A nation is not defeated until the heart of its women are on the ground, Simpson said in the series, sharing a Cheyenne proverb. We knew right from the beginning we did not want this to be newsy or information-driven, Galkin said. While there are more questions than answers, the Conjuring Justice blog owner hopes that people put in charge of the case will veer away from corrupt practices and see the case without bias or malintent. 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