Billings Safe Contents Announced At Family Funeral
July 17, 2009
The only items in the safe stolen from the Billings’ home were jewelry, children’s prescription medications and important family documents.
The jewelry was described as having sentimental value.
That is what the family’s attorney, Crystal Spencer, said at the Beulah couple’s funeral Friday morning.
“Hopefully this will put to rest the intense speculation and rumors that are swirling about the Billings family,” Spencer said.
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan has declined to say what was in the safe.
“Today is the day to celebrate Bud and Melanie’s lives,” Ed Brock, Melanie Billings’ brother said during the brief press conference. “Bud and Melanie will live on in our hearts forever.”
The brief announcement was made, Spencer said, the put an end to the rumors surround the death of Bud and Melanie Billings and any possible motives for the crime.
Accused Donkey Killer In Court; JB The Donkey Doing Just Fine
July 17, 2009
Kyle Mason Driver, the 17-year old accused of shooting the mother of JB the donkey in May, was back in court this week. Meanwhile, JB continues to do well.
Driver appeared before Judge Kenneth Williams who set a late September trial date in the case.
Driver, 17, was originally charged as a juvenile, but he now faces charges as an adult in Escambia County Circuit Court on three charges related to the May 2 shooting death of the donkey on River Annex Road near Jacks Branch Road. The shooting happened within minutes of the birth of J.B., a white donkey that became a local media celebrity of sorts.
Driver is now facing adult charges of felony animal cruelty, using a weapon during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a minor.
Driver turned himself in to the Escambia County Jail May 6 about two hours after NorthEscambia.com published his photo and a plea for the public’s help in locating him from the Sheriff’s Department. He was released from jail on $6,000 bond.
Deputies say Driver confessed to the crime, and a witness provided deputies with the .22 caliber weapon used in the shooting.
Diane Lowery of Panhandle Equine Rescue, the non-profit group that took custody of J.B. after his mother was shot, provided us the following update on J.B.s condition:
J.B. is two months old now and quite a little character. He has his own paddock and stall and is eating foal pellets free choice along with getting his baby formula four times a day. He is surrounded by adult horses, but is still too small to join the herd. We are probably going to receive a donkey back into our care that was adopted out last year and must be returned. We plan on putting her in with J.B. so she can teach him how to be a “donkey”.
When he is weaned and eating grass, they will both join the herd on 15 acres of pasture with lots of oak trees to provide shade for leisure time and naps. J.B., a.k.a. Burrito has been adopted by his foster mom, Lindley Barden. She really loves him and will give him a great forever home.
We appreciate everyone’s support during the first two months of his life. It started out rough for him, losing his mother so tragically, but Panhandle Equine Rescue will make sure that the rest of his life will be happy and he will be well cared for. We thank Lindley for all she has done and will continue to do to ensure that all his needs will be met, including plenty of love and attention!
Murder Suspect Arrest Reports Provide Details; Read The Original Reports
July 17, 2009
The original arrest reports of the suspects in the Billings double murder case provide a little more insight in the events that unfolded in their Beulah home on July 9.
NorthEscambia.com has obtained copies of the arrest reports for the suspects arrested in both Escambia and Okaloosa counties. We have requested a copy of the arrest report for Donnie Stallworth, the man who turned himself in and was arrested in Escambia County, Alabama. Authorities in Brewton have not responded to our request.
Click each name below to see the complete arrest reports in pdf format. The reports contain identifying information on each suspect, places of employment and a narrative that describes that person’s alleged involvement in the crime.
- Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr
- Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Sr
- Wayne Thomas Coldiron
- Gary Lamont Sumner, Jr
- Frederick Lee Thornton, Jr
- Rakeem Chavez Florence
- Pamela Long-Wiggins
No Injuries In Highway 97 Semi Vs. Pickup Wreck
July 17, 2009
There were no injuries in a Highway 97 wreck involving a semi-truck and a pickup late Thursday night.
The accident happened on Highway 97 just south of Highway 4 in Davisville about 10:55 Thursday night. The driver of the southbound semi said that the driver of the pickup truck pulled out of in front of him at Highway 4. After the collision, the semi came to rest in a ditch alongside Highway 97. The driver of the pickup continued south of Highway 97 about 400 feet before running off the road.
There were at least two people in the pickup that were uninjured. The driver of the semi was also uninjured.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire-Rescue, Atmore Ambulance, Escambia County Sheriff’s Department, Atmore Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol all responded to the crash.
The accident is still under investigation by the FHP.
Pictured above: The persons in this pickup where not injured in a collision with a big rig late Thursday night. Pictured below: The driver of this semi was also uninjured. Pictured bottom: The pickup came to rest off Highway 97. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Sid Wheatley To Be Northview’s Head Football Coach
July 17, 2009
Sid Wheatley is the new interim head football coach at Northview High School.
Wheatley will fill the position left open when Cody Keene announced earlier this week that he was resigning to take a head coaching job at Hooper Academy in Montgomery. He has served as Keene’s assistant coach since the 2005 season, most recently coaching the offensive line and defensive backs last season.
Wheatley has served as Northview’s baseball team since 2005, and he also teaches history at the school. Wheatley attended the University of Southern Mississippi where he received a Bachelor’s degree in coaching and sports administration.
This is not the first time Wheatley has served as a head football coach — he led Loyd Star High School in Brookhaven, Miss. from 2002 to 2003. He’s also served as an assistant football coach at various other schools in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi.
The Role Of Pamela Long Wiggins In Billings Murder Case
July 17, 2009
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Department arrest report obtained by NorthEscambia.com says that Pamela Long Wiggins, 47, was an accomplice in the home invasion and murders that occurred on July 9. As suspects were interviewed by investigators, information was received concerning a red minivan that was left at a predetermined location near the crime scene to facilitate the escape of those involved in the crime. That van was later determined to be registered to Wiggins.
Other suspects in the crime told deputies that firearms — both handguns and long guns — used in the murders and the safe taken from the home were later transferred into Wiggins’ minivan. The van was later observed by witnesses at Magnolia Antique Mall in Gulf Breeze, a business owned by Wiggins. It was reported that Wiggins was the passenger in the red minivan which still contained the victims’ safe and the firearms used in the crimes.
On Monday, the ECSO executed a search warrant at Wiggins’ residence at 1247 Ramblewoods Drive in Gulf Breeze. Authorities were unable to locate the Billings’ safe or the firearms. On Wednesday, her estranged husband, Hugh Wiggins, told investigators that the safe was hidden in the backyard of a home owned by Wiggins. The arrest report does not specify if the home was the one on Ramblewoods Drive or if it was one of five other pieces of property she owns in Santa Rosa County.
State Attorney Bill Eddins confirmed Thursday that the safe and firearms had been recovered. He declined to say what, if anything, was inside the safe.
Wiggins was charged with accessory after the fact to felony murder. She was released on $10,000 bond from the Escambia County Jail.
County Won’t Help Pay For New Library In Pensacola
July 17, 2009
The City of Pensacola is building a $6 million library downtown, and Escambia County Commissioners say they won’t contribute any funding to increase the size of the building.
“I move that we do not give the city money,” District 5 Commissioner Kevin White said. “They only need us when they need money from us.”
The other commissioners agreed at Thursday morning’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
“So let the deputy mayor know she got a resounding ‘no’,” White said. Pensacola Deputy Mayor Jewel Cannada-Wynn had recently encouraged the county commission to help fund the new library, which replaces the old downtown branch library (pictured).
County Passes Anti-Tether Animal Law To Committee
July 17, 2009
The Escambia County Commission decided Thursday morning to pass the possibility of an anti-tether ordinance off to a committee for study.
Such an ordinance would make it illegal to leave your dog tied up when you are not around in Escambia County.
Thursday morning, the commission’s Committee of the Whole directed staff to take the ordinance to the Animal Services Oversight Committee.
A similar ordinance in Miami-Dade that commissioners will look at makes it illegal for pet owners to leave their pets chained up outside when they are not around.
The anti-tether law in Miami-Dade says it is illegal to tie a dog to anything with an item, including a rope, chain or leash. Under that ordinance, it is still legal to walk a dog on a leash, or tether a dog when a responsible party is outside with the dog. Puppies six months or younger cannot be tethered.
Miami-Dade enacted the ordinance to prevent animal abuse, and because a tethered dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite, according to animal control experts in that metro area. A violation of the Miami-Date ordinance carries a $500 fine for each offense.
The county attorney’s office researched possible ordinance at the request of Commissioner Grover Robinson.
Wiggins Free On Bond
July 16, 2009
Pamela Long Wiggins has been released from the Escambia County Jail on $10,000 bond.
Wednesday, she was charged with accessory after the fact to murder in connection with the murders of Melanie and Byrd Billings last Thursday in Beulah.
Wiggins, 47, was the eighth person arrested in the case. More details her arrest are expected to emerge later today.
Eight Is Not Enough: Another Arrest In Murder Case; ‘Gaping Hole’ Found
July 16, 2009
An eighth person was arrested Wednesday in connection with the murder of Byrd and Melanie Billings, and Escambia Sheriff David Morgan said their was one “gaping hole” in their investigation. And the sheriff said they are looking to find at least one more person.
Pamela Long Wiggins, 47, was arrested Wednesday night in connection with the murder of Byrd and Melanie Billings. She was charged with accessory after the fact to felony murder. Morgan had previously identified Wiggins as Pamela Laverne Long, but court records indicate that she was married on December 21 of last year to Hugh Gregory Wiggins.
Wiggins has been released from the Escambia County Jail on $10,000 bond.
Her arrest came after hours of questioning at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department. Wiggins was located in Orange Beach, Alabama, after her picture was released to the media. She was seen being escorted by from a yacht by Escambia County deputies and Orange Beach police. She was not arrested at the time; instead, she drove with her lawyer back to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department in Pensacola for questioning.
She was the landlord of Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr.
“She’s been observed transporting his wife and children at times,” Morgan said. “We know that she was associated with Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr. until the day of the murders.”
Morgan would not elaborate on exactly how Wiggins was involved with the case. He said more information would come during a 10 a.m. press conference Thursday morning from State Attorney Bill Eddins.
Also Wednesday, Morgan said the failure to disable the video survelliance system at the Billings home was a “gaping hole” on the part of those involved in the crime.
A second person of interest is being sought because of their involvement with the security system at the Billings home. The person was exterior to the home and not in the house. Morgan said authorities believed they know that person’s identity, but he would not release a name.
Morgan also said it was someone’s job to disable the security system at the Billings’ compound, but that did not happen.
“Why was this system left on in an otherwise perfectly executed murder?” he said. “”There may have been someone in this case who’s very duty was to disable the security system.” There were two possibilities in shutting down the security system at the Billings home — either access from within the home or remotely via the Internet, the sheriff said.
Video of the now infamous red van and other security system footage from the Billings home was the big break that allowed the sheriff’s department to quickly make arrests in the case.