State seeks death for in couple’s death
PENSACOLA (AP) – Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for four men charged in the July home-insvasion killings of a Panhandle couple known for adopting numerous children with special needs.
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.
Another man and a 16-year-old boy have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. A woman has pleaded not guilty to accessory to first-degree murder.
The group is charged in the deaths of Byrd and Melanie Billings. The couple were shot to death in their home as some of their nine adopted children with varying special needs watched and listened.