State seeks death for 2 Okaloosa residents in couple's killings
PENSACOLA — Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for two Okaloosa County men charged in the July home-invasion killings of a Panhandle couple known for adopting numerous children with special needs. Two others involved in the incident could also see death penalty charges.
State Attorney Bill Eddins announced Monday he will seek the death penalty against alleged ring leader Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., 35, Air Force Staff Sgt. Donnie Ray Stallworth, 28, Wayne Thomas Coldiron, 41, and Frederick Lee Thornton Jr., 19.
Investigators have said Pensacola-area karate instructor Gonzalez Jr. was the ringleader of the attack. They say his father, Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr., drove the getaway car. In addition to the Gonzalezes, Stallworth, Coldiron and Thornton, Gary Lamont Sumner Jr., 30, and Rakeem Florence, 16, were also charged.
Stallworth, a staff sergeant with the 1st Special Operations AC Maintenance Squadron at Hurlburt Field, and Thornton were Okaloosa County residents.
In all, four local men were arrested for the crime. Florence was charged with two open counts of murder. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office also arrested Sumner for his involvement. Sumner initially was stopped in Okaloosa County on a traffic violation and arrested for driving with a suspended license. He was later returned to Escambia County to face murder charges.
The men worked for Fifth Dimensions auto detailers in Fort Walton Beach and were linked to the other men arrested through a series of friendships and business dealings, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said after the arrests.
The group is charged in the deaths of Byrd and Melanie Billings. The couple was shot to death in their home as some of their nine adopted children with varying special needs watched and listened.
The murders occurred in Beulah, a rural area west of Pensacola near the Alabama line.
The slain couple was known for their large family of adopted children. Eight of the children were at home, many sleeping when their parents were murdered Thursday evening. However, some of the children saw the break-in. One escaped by running to a neighbor’s home for help.
Byrd and Melanie Billings had an extensive surveillance system in their home. The nine-bedroom house was wired with cameras in every room. That effort to protect their children helped investigators, who reviewed surveillance footage to track down the suspects.
Morgan confirmed many of the suspects have criminal histories and some have military training.
