RE: Family in Florida that was killed and had 16 kids

[Guest guest]

Here is an update article. The thing that struck me was the fact they

called the suspect a " Day Laborer. " In my part of the country that is a

nice term for illegal alien. That makes this tradegy even more outstanding.

It irks me how the MSM hides that little fact by trying to not call a spade

a spade. I am so mad I could just spit.

Up to 8 People Involved in Murder of Florida Couple With 16 Kids

Monday , July 13, 2009

AP

PENSACOLA, Fla. -

Byrd and Billings had a growing brood of adopted children with

autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities, and took care to make their

nine-bedroom house a safe place for them, wiring it with surveillance

cameras in every room.

It was those cameras that captured images of the masked men who shot the

wealthy couple to death in a break-in executed with chilling precision.

Authorities made three arrests over the weekend, but the mystery around town

only deepened Monday, when Sheriff said that as many as eight

people in all may have been involved and that the crime appeared to have

" numerous motives, " though robbery was the only one he would mention.

" Mr. Billings was well-to-do. He was an entrepreneur and he opened his home

to the community. You are asking me to speculate on a motive. That could

have been one reason, " said, likening the killings to the 1959

slayings of a Kansas farm family that were chronicled by Truman Capote in

the book " In Cold Blood. "

The video from last Thursday showed three armed, masked men arriving in a

red van, entering through the front of the house and then returning to the

vehicle. Others dressed in what the sheriff called " ninja garb " went in

through an unlocked utility door in the back. They were in and out in under

10 minutes.

The sheriff would not say what, if anything, was stolen.

Some of the nine children in the house at the time were sleeping, but

several others saw the break-in, authorities said. One left the house and

went to get a neighbor, who called 911.

" I think you'll find this particularly chilling and here's why: We have a

team that enters at the rear of the home and another that enters at the

front of the home, " said. " It leads me to believe this was a very

well-planned and methodical operation. "

said, however, that there was no indication anyone had unlocked the

door for the intruders, explaining, " I believe it was a matter of course in

this community that they felt comfortable enough to leave the door

unlocked. " He also said he knew of no connection between the men under

arrest and the Billings family.

The Billingses owned several local businesses, including a finance company

and a used-car dealership. They lived in Beulah, a rural area west of

Pensacola, near the Alabama state line, in a house set deep in the woods.

They had 16 children in all - 12 of them adopted.

In a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal, the couple said they wanted

to share their wealth with children in need, but didn't imagine their family

would grow so large.

" It just happened, " said Billings, who was 43 when she died. " I just

wanted to give them a better life. "

The surveillance system was installed to help the couple keep track of their

children as they wandered through the large house and yard, said

Berry, principal of Escambia Westgate School in Pensacola, which some of the

children attended.

Tips from the public led police to the van on Saturday. Day laborer Wayne

Coldiron, 41, turned himself in on Sunday, and Leonard P. Jr., 35,

was arrested the same day in a neighboring county. They were charged with

murder and home invasion.

Authorities also jailed 's father on a charge of evidence tampering.

Police said the 56-year-old tried to paint over and hide damage on the van.

The elder told investigators that he was the getaway driver and

waited in the van while the others broke into the house and burglarized it,

according to court papers. Authorities said he also told them several other

men were involved.

Byrd Billings, 68, was a man with big twinkly-eyed smile, Berry said. At one

school function, his big hand enveloped hers, leaving a neatly folded check

for the school in her palm. She wouldn't say how much the check was for, but

she couldn't believe how big it was.

" They weren't only generous with their children, " Berry said. " They were

generous with everyone that touched their children's lives. "

When Billings picked up her children from school, she would stretch

out her arms, and " the kids would run to her, the ones that could, " Berry

said. " They would go as fast they could with their arms in the air for Mom

to take them. "

For one daughter's prom, the couple created a Cinderella scene. The girl's

dress was white, her date wore a white tuxedo with a pink tie, and the

couple emerged from a white limousine.

" The beam on Byrd and Mel's faces, and on the parents of the young man, is

something I'll never forget, " Berry said. " It was picture-perfect. "

Markham, an adult daughter of the victims, said she plans to carry on

with her parents' legacy.

" My mother always told me some people grow up wanting to be doctors or

lawyers or teachers. She wanted to be a mommy, " Markham said in a statement.

" Her lifelong dream was loving her babies and being a voice for them. "

Nolan-6

Phoebe Ds & Cf-4

Lipstick

_____

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf

Of Marcia Loomas

Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 9:58 PM

Upsndowns

Subject: Family in Florida that was killed and had 16 kids

Grace just finished a segment on the murder of the parents. She said

they are looking for 6-8 suspects and it looks like they might have found 3

so far. She stated that they did not have any news on what would happen with

the children but a therapist on her show stated that hopefully they will be

able to stay together since they've been through so much in their lives in

general and now this.