PENSACOLA, Fla. – Documents released by prosecutors reveal possible links among the seven suspects accused of killing a Florida Panhandle couple known for adopting special needs children.
Byrd and Melanie Billings were killed in their home last month. Nine children between the ages of 4 and 11 were at the home during the slayings.
The six men and a 16-year-old charged as an adult appear in the documents to be a hastily assembled group mostly lured by the promise of money.
Authorities have identified the alleged mastermind as Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., who pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges along with the six other suspects.
Gonzalez allegedly recruited his father as the getaway driver by saying that the Billings children were being sexually abused.
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