The Double Murder of Melanie & Byrd Billings
Byrd, AKA, Bud married Melanie in 1990, just four short months after divorcing his second wife, Cindy.
On July 9, 2009, Byrd and Melanie were shot and killed in their own home outside of Pensacola, FL. Nine of their adopted, special needs children were home during the break in and murder. Two things were taken from the home: a briefcase likely containing at least $100,000 and a safe, filled with medications for the kids, some jewelry, and passports.
One of the little Billings girls ran next door to report to the neighbor that her parents had been shot. The neighbor, April, immediately called 911 and let emergency services know that there were still kids in the house. When police arrived, they found children hiding under covers and cabinets all throughout the house. This “house” that the crime occurred in, is an 8 bedroom mansion, not a reasonably sized home, but a very large one. Regardless, the children were a witness to this murder whether they heard it, or saw it go down. One of the children, a young boy with Down Syndrome, was outside of his parents’ master bedroom as they were shot and killed. He heard everything, but was too shaken up to communicate effectively with the police.
Fortunately for the police, the children were not the only witnesses to the attack. The Billings had sixteen security cameras throughout the home. One of the rooms that wasn’t covered by camera - the master bedroom. What the footage does show is so clear in uncovering exactly what happened. In fact, all eight that were involved in the robbery/murder were tried and convicted, so why am I looking further into this case? If you look online, there are very few forums about this case, and only one documentary that I could find - and my point is that this wasn’t something that was broadcast over and over because it was solved so quickly. A few weeks ago, I had a private reading with a fellow medium - we do those from time to time, as it can be more difficult to connect on your own behalf or on behalf of a family member and it helps to get outside perspective. Anyway, during our reading, Melanie Billings came through to ask to look further into this case. Ricardo, my friend and fellow medium, was able to see the crime scene and described it to me in horrific detail. He saw too that the case was solved, and that whatever Melanie wanted to share, was with me. So, here’s a first for me, and it may even sound crazy, but I’m okay with that. This is afterall, not straight true crime, but so much more.
I connected with Melanie and she was lit up with anger about something. What was interesting to me right away, was that we were able to see that it was a double homicide in my private reading, but while Bud came through at that time to show himself, he didn’t come through when I connected with Melanie later in that week. She stuck around though waiting for her chance to speak with me. I won’t say that she waited patiently either. Anyway, when I connected to her, she was adamant in telling me that, “She was more involved than that. She was more involved than that.” Melanie showed me over and over this blonde woman who was the “ring leader,” so-to-speak, but that it didn’t come out that way in court. She was insisting that, “She was pissed at Bill for not giving her what she thought was her fair share.” Now, I’m not even really sure what exactly she means by that, but we’re going to continue on with the case, and I’ll interject with who I connected with as we go.
It was said that all of the security cameras were up because of all of the special needs children in the home. While yes, I can see this, I don’t feel that this was the only reason for the security cameras. The hit that I got on this was that while yes, the cameras were helpful for checking in on children, they were also there to keep tabs on whoever was in the home just in case something ever happened. Bud’s past wasn’t all saintly as one might believe, being that he and his wife opened their home to these children who were in dire need of love and stability. Was he a good person? Yes, absolutely, this is a wonderful thing that they did, but I also feel this was largely Melanie and that Bud made Melanie happy in doing this. I’m not saying that he didn’t love having a full home because I believe that he did, but she was the one who desired this the most. Melanie was Bud’s third wife. Like I said, he married her a few short months - four to be exact - after divorcing his second wife, Cindy. Cindy was interviewed by police as well as reached out to by reporters, but declined to accept any interviews. So she was the ex-wife, of course they would interview her. Except, she and Bud had a run in with the law during their marriage, where they actually plead “no contest,” to charges of trying to “obtain a newborn for $2,100.” What the hell? She wouldn’t comment on this, but their punishment was a mere two years probation which was later amended to one year each. She did however say that Bud was always dealing with shady characters. Like Pamela Wiggins, perhaps?
What did Bud do for work? He was incredibly wealthy to be living in that home and in that area of Florida. Bud worked for a company called, “Back Seat, Inc.,” a holding company for a topless bar that opened in 1990. One of the bar’s previous employees, a waitress, claimed that he actually helped her to turn her life around. This is confusing to me, because as a holding company, he wouldn’t necessarily be hiring the “waitresses,” but working more with management and the stocks that the topless bar owned. Did he hire her as an employee working for him in a more ‘professional’ manner? He was described as a “man of integrity,” by this former employee and by other employees as well. Back Seat Inc., no longer exists. He also owned a used car lot that was registered in Melanie’s name, as well as her daughter Ashley’s. I know that I’m not too business savvy, but it seems odd to me that his business was registered in their names. Did he not want his name attached to it in case something went wrong on his end? Or on their end? Was he protecting his assets by not putting his name on everything in case he got into legal trouble, or was met with death in the way that he was? According to ABC news, this car lot was basically on an old concrete slab and was surrounded by pawn shops and bail bond companies in a bad part of town. This doesn’t sound like something to me that would make him enough money to live a lavish lifestyle while raising 9 children, plus the adult children that he and Melanie had from previous relationships.
Do you remember the briefcase that I mentioned in the beginning? The reason that Bud carried that with him, was because he would provide cash loans with that money. This sounds a little shady in and of itself to me! What do I know?
So to back it on up - the surveillance shows a red van pulling up to the front of the house, where three men bust down the door and storm inside while two men simultaneously bust into the back of the house. Bud and Melanie were both found in the master bedroom, where the intruders took them after shooting Bud in the leg in the living room. Once they’re in the bedroom, no more footage can be seen. Bud was found face down laying on his hands which were bound with a zip tie. Melanie was face up with her right shoulder slumped up against the bedroom wall. The images of the red van that was seen dropping off three of the suspects as well as the gold SUV that dropped off two more in the back were both released to the public. Within thirty-six hours, the van was found at the home of Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Sr. It was parked next to his trailer and looking sickly and weak, “down on his luck,” as police would describe him, they believed him when he said that the van was his son’s, and that it was inoperable for weeks now. Just when they feel like maybe that wasn’t their van, they get a call from a convenience store, that has footage of the van parked in front of their store just a few days earlier, and Gonzalez, Sr. himself exiting the van to come into the store. Hmm… sounds like he isn’t as innocent as police assumed. Of course they return to Gonzalez Sr. and they allow him to try again with his story. This time, he explains that he was only the getaway driver of the van, and that his son, Leonard Patrick Gonzalez, Jr., as well as another, Wayne Goldiron were involved as well. According to Gonzalez Sr., Jr. knew the house because of some construction he had done to the interior of the house - so he knew about the safe and all.
Police had to release Goldiron and Jr. for lack of evidence tying them to what Sr. was saying, but they obtained a search warrant to Sr’s trailer. One of the officers noticed an empty shoebox that once contained black combat style boots just like the ones seen on the feet of the men “dressed like ninjas,” entering the home of Bud and Melanie Billings on July 9th. When police visit Walmart where they believe the shoes were purchased, they are able to not only see footage of Sr. buying them, but also with two men who had driven up in a gold explorer which was previously identified as getaway vehicle number two. How quickly this story unfolds. These two men were Gary Sumner and Donnie Stallworth. Sumner drove the gold explorer as the getaway driver, and Stallworth entered the back of the Billings’ home with Wayne Goldiron. Arrests are now made.
Are y'all keeping up? I hope I still have you. As luck would have it, and truly this feels like such luck, two more suspects come through to confess. Nineteen-year-old Frederick Thornton and Rakeem Florence worked for a friend of Gonzalez Jr. at an autoshop. Jr. approached them about working a robbery for some cash and they accepted the job. We are now up to seven suspects. We have Sumner, Stallworth, Gonzalez Sr., Gonzalez Jr., Goldiron, Thornton, and Florence. The red van was registered to Pamela Wiggins, a local real estate agent and businesswoman. Now this blonde is the woman that Melanie was referencing. The safe was buried on her property and she was convicted of two counts of accessory after the fact to a felony. She was sentenced to 28 years and 12 years concurrently. How did she get wrapped up in this? According to ABC news, her red van was used to transport both the safe stolen from the BIllings home as well as the guns used in the murdering of Bud and Melanie Billings. Another suspect who was cooperating with the police claimed that Pamela was riding in the van while the guns were being transported following the robbery and knew that they had been used in the murders as well. Police did not confirm or deny this piece of information. Come on, when you can’t confirm or deny, I feel like that’s confirmation, but really, I do feel that she knew exactly what went down. Did she intend for anyone to be murdered? No! I do think that she provided the weapons and also was more of a ring leader in this scenario than she paints herself to be - and Melanie seems to think so as well. The connections were described by police as “loose acquaintances,” and an “interesting group of loosely connected people.” Jr., was actually a tenant of Pam’s. She owned eight residential properties in Santa Rosa county, Florida, but over a dozen properties over three states. One of those properties I do know is in Georgia. She also owned a popular antique mall, “Magnolia Antique Mall,” which was listed as the owner of her yacht, “The Classy Lady,” where she was found when she was arrested.
According to a CNN news report, she also had six aliases, some tied to married names of hers from pervious husbands. She also drove a Rolls Royce, but then had one of her houses in foreclosure. It sounds to me, and feels to me, as if her world were starting to crumble and she wasn’t sure just how long she could maintain the lifestyle that she had been accustomed to. I’m not sure how many landlords have their tenant as a witness to their wedding, but Pam sure did. Jr. was one of the witnesses to sign Pam’s marriage license in her marriage to Hugh Wiggins. Doesn’t that scream of a closer friendship/relationship than landlord/tenant? Her second husband/possibly still married to him because no decree of divorce was ever issued, told police that she always seemed to have a ton of cash that couldn’t be easily explained. Oh, and did I mention that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives was involved in the investigation? Not only that, but the DEA was as well. Sounds like a bigger mess than the public was ever filled in on, right? Back to it - in my intuitive opinion, Pam brought the idea to Jr. who was already working for her in her drug operation, though I believe she was also supplying firearms. The woman was wheelin and dealin in far more than just real estate. One shady businesswoman meets a shady businessman (*cough* Byrd Billings *cough*) and he is unwilling to get in on her operation. He doesn't want to. It’s too dangerous and he’s already got his hands in a few pots. The difference is here, that Bud truly is looking out for his family here. Again, Melanie truly desired to help these special needs kiddos, but Bud loved doing it as well. It really filled his heart - and let’s face it, Bud was getting up there in age, and wasn’t looking to go all in on new deals. Pamela needed him to though, because her cash flow was drying up and she knew that he could put up the cash. Bud was well-known in town as having a lot of money. Jr. actually told Florence (according to Florence) that they were going to go in and grab over 13 million dollars. They truly thought they were walking out with millions. I don’t think that Bud had that on hand though. Maybe they walked with a cool $100k, but split 8 ways, that isn’t much. I do feel that he and Pam had done business together in the past, but that he refused to take her on in the capacity that she desired then as well.
So Pam came to Jr. with this plan and Jr. was in charge of enlisting and training accomplices. Oh by the way, they trained for 30 days - drilling how to go in and out of the house. The precision that they entered the house with, was enough to make the police think that this was a contract killing. Jr. did some time in the National Guard, but he was a hot head. He really thought more highly of himself than Pam realized, and he portrayed a skewed image of his capabilities as well. Sr. did own a power washing company that had cleaned Bud’s house, but truly, that connection feels moot to me. I think it was more of a, “Hey dad, we’re going to rob this place, and there’s 13 million in it to split if you want in on it go get you some military grade combat boots from the walmart and we’ll train ya on up. We’re gonna rob the Billings place.” and dad would have said something asinine like, “Oh yea, that fuckin mansion. We just had a job there. I know the place. Yea, I’m in,” because why wouldn’t he be? He didn’t have much to speak of. At the very least, Pam and Jr. were ring leaders together, but she definitely was going to get more money out of it if it worked out.
In my research, I found that more than only Melanie and her husband had since passed. Pamela Wiggins died in prison in 2015. She served a very short time in her 28-year sentence. Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr., also died in prison while serving his time. If they’re on the other side, you know what this means? Yup. I attempted to connect with both of them. Sr. was not coming through, but Pamela sure did. She told me that a long time ago, she and Byrd had done business together - though I have to say that I feel it was less of a big deal than she perceived it to be. She essentially thought that he owed her a bigger piece of the pie than he thought he did and it never came up as something in conversation with anyone because Bud didn’t see it as a big deal, though Pamela did and held it tight for years. She did okay in her own shady dealings, but she also got involved with some pretty heavy trafficking of drugs and guns. She was desperate for money and went to the first person she knew she could obtain a large payout from. She felt that he owed her, though she didn’t plan on them being murdered. She wanted what was hers.
When I first connected to Melanie, I thought she was showing me how angry she was with Bud for being in these shady business dealings and that ultimately it lead to their demise. Truly though, I believe that he opted out of shady practices with Pam and because of that, it ultimately led to his demise and the demise of his wife. Bud wanted the best for his family and he was able to provide it. How he made his millions, well that doesn’t seem to be for us to know, and although I do believe it wasn’t all super legal, I do feel he walked away from something much bigger. I get the sense that he wasn’t willing to bring dangerous things like drugs into people’s lives and refused to be a part of that, as he knew what it could do to people and that he couldn’t be responsible for the pain and torture of addiction on indidvuiduals and their families. We all have our limits and our moral compasses, huh?
So Melanie, I hope I did your case justice. I hope that you can rest a little easier knowing that we know that Pam was more involved and that there was a larger operation with guns and drugs going on in the background.
This episode is released just a few short days before the twelve year anniversary of their deaths. Their adopted children are under the care of Ashely Markel, the biological daughter of Melanie. She continues to raise them and love them in the home where the brutal murders took place, and while there is so much healing to do, she seems to have found a safe place in the love that surrounds her from those kids that were so dear to her mom and dad.
Before I end, I wanted to leave you with the sentencing for each of those involved in the murder of Bud and Melanie Billings.
Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr. – jury conviction of two death penalties for two counts of first-degree murder and a life sentence for one count of home invasion robbery with a firearm.
Donnie Stallworth – two consecutive life sentences for two counts first-degree murder, lengthy prison sentence for one count of home invasion robbery with a firearm (effectively permanent life in prison).
Wayne Coldiron – two consecutive life sentences for two counts first-degree murder, lengthy prison sentence for one count of home invasion robbery with a firearm (effectively permanent life in prison).
Frederick Thornton – plea agreement, and testified against co-defendants, resulting in two concurrent 40-year sentences for two counts second-degree murder, concurrent 22-year sentence for one count of home invasion robbery with a firearm (totals 22 years in prison then 18 years' probation).
Rakeem Florence – plea agreement, and testified against co-defendants, resulting in two concurrent 45-year sentences for two counts second-degree murder, concurrent 24-year sentence for one count of home invasion robbery with a firearm (totals 24 years in prison then 21 years' probation).
Gary Sumner – back of house getaway driver, plea agreement resulting in two concurrent 20-year sentences for two counts second-degree murder, concurrent 20-year sentence for one count of home invasion robbery with a firearm.
Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr. – front of house getaway driver, plea agreement resulting in two concurrent 17½-year sentences for two counts second-degree murder, concurrent 17½-year sentence for one count of home invasion robbery with a firearm.
Pamela Long-Wiggins – jury conviction resulting in concurrent 28-year and 12-year sentences for two counts of accessory after the fact to a felony.
Sources:
Billings-murder-suspect-pamela-long-wiggins-dies-in-prison
https://medium.com/the-true-crime-edition/how-cctv-footage-solved-this-double-homicide-b58ef1ea2e76
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=8096669&page=1
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=8110569&page=1
