2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Learn How Brandon Dawson Sold His Business for $151M at 77X EBITDA and Break Through Your Business Plateau, Too! One of the vehicles used in the burglary was later traced to Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr. He was with three other men identified as Wayne Coldiron, Donnie Stallworth, and Gary Sumner, names that Leonard Gonzalez had revealed to authorities. While the robbery appeared to be well planned, the police believed that one of the accomplices failed to turn off the security cameras, which later became primary evidence in the case. Over 50 women have been strangled in the west and southside of Chicago in the last two decades. While there are more questions than answers, the Conjuring Justice blog owner hopes that people put in charge of the case will veer away from corrupt practices and see the case without bias or malintent. In July, Lake County sued the state,asking a judge to declare that the state is obligated to reimburse the county for law enforcement service, The tribes, whose territory spans the boundary between the U.S. and Canada, wrote that they initially made this request in October 2012 and al, Lake County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution of intent to withdraw from a law that establishes a unique law enforcement relatio. The two directors also reached out to Ivy and Ivan MacDonald, a brother-sister team of filmmakers and enrolled members of the Blackfeet Tribe, who joined as producers of the series. See production, box office & company info, Self - Neighbor of Byrd and Melanie Billings, Self - Daughter of Byrd and Melanie Billings. Theres very little thats more gut-wrenching than injustice, yet it would surprise many how much of it happens under our noses. Benally led many of the conversations with Native families. I would like to say I was shocked, but I wasnt shocked, Galkin said of Winburns comments. Weeks later, police were still trying to complete their understanding of the genesis of the scheme and connection of the suspects to the Billings family. - YouTube 0:00 / 9:22 Why Were the Billings Couple Murdered? Byrd and Melanie Billings lived in Beulah, Florida, in a sprawling mansion with several children they had adopted. Frederick and Rakeem took plea deals and agreed to testify against Leonard Jr. At Leonard Jrs trial in late 2010, the prosecution stated that he was the mastermind behind the plan. In business, Bud Billings wouldnt give you a dime unless you gave him 29 cents back, Tice told authorities in a recorded interview. Byrd and Melinda Billings Another safe, a small one in the master bedroom for personal keepsakes and documents, was missing. The group had also gotten together to train before the crime for a few weeks. Florence told officials that Leonard Gonzalez had promised him $2,000 or $3,000 to carry this deed out, investigators said. RYAN BERRY, Billings Gazette "Murder in Big Horn," a three-part documentary set on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations, will premiere at the internationally acclaimed Sundance Film. The young women are remembered through the recollections of family members and friends, who detail their shared barriers to justice and the lack of response from law enforcement officials. What these families have lost is universally relatable. The alleged victims of the highflying, some would say sociopathic politician with a list of victims that spans the long career of him and Hillary his 'wife' Two of the women were never found. This is emotion-driven. By the spring of 1989, the remains of nine victims had been discovered along the highways surrounding the city. He was with three other men identified as, Wayne Coldiron, Donnie Stallworth, and Gary Sumner, names. The first two shots to Buds legs were captured on camera. Another safe, a small one in the master bedroom for personal keepsakes and documents, was missing. Was the money the motive for the double homicide? Both of them had two biological children, each from their previous relationships but adopted 12 children, most of them with special needs. The Billings couple had many fostered children, who were all within the home along with some employees and house staff on the day of the murder. Since colonization, our Native women have been targeted. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The intruders were in and out of the house in less than five minutes. Benally, who is Oglala Lakota and Din, understands intimately the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people and has experienced the disappearance and death of family members and close friends. Scenes were filmed in Billings, Hardin, Lame Deer and Crow Agency. Leonard Gonzalez told sheriffs that he was with six other men in the van, including Patrick. All of them except Patrick Gonzalez agreed to plea deals, resulting in life sentences for Stallworth and Coldiron and lengthy prison terms for the others, according to Floribama Murders.. Its what they must rely on, to catch the killers and bring them to justice. Detectives learned that when the van left the Billings estate they drove to Santa Rosa County, where they dropped it off at an antique mall. There are factors that led to that., Our girls dont just die, added Lucy Simpson, executive director for the National Indigenous Womens Resource Center, based in Lame Deer. Also, some witnesses who pointed to Patrick as the gunman had claimed they had seen his face when the surveillance video showed that the gunmen had their masks on the whole time. As police began looking at the Billings family history, they began to wonder if they were looking at a contract killing. In Pensacola Florida, two loving parents are brutally gunned down in their own home. The safe was found on the property of Pamela Long-Wiggins, who was Leonard Jrs landlord. The next, they were innocent victims of a methodical murder plot. Why Were the Billings Couple Murdered? When Chelysa Owens-Cyr got the call, she was stunned. that Leonard Gonzalez had revealed to authorities. He initially said the van belonged to his son, Patrick, and hadnt been running for a while. While Native Americans comprise about 6.7% of Montanas population, they account for, on average, 26% of the states active missing persons cases. Soon, others involved were arrested as well: Donnie Stallworth, Wayne Coldiron, Frederick Thornton, Rakeem Florence, and Gary Sumner. Locating the red van was top priority, so law enforcement reached out to the public through the media, according to Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan. He reached out to Benally, who was hesitant at first to work with a non-Native on a film about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. "We found that a. "Death is a smell youll never forget, Sr. Deputy Robert Guy, of Escambia County Sheriffs Office, told Floribama Murders, airing Saturdays at 9/8c on Oxygen. The Billings family was well-known in the Pensacola, Florida, area. With all these details brought to light, and with Patrick still fighting a death sentence and Lenny now gone after passing away behind bars due to cancer, Jimmie Lee Staley continues to seek for the truth behind the Billings murder case. He had taken a loan from Byrd to set up a martial arts studio. You can cancel at any time. 1. It will be available to view online from Jan. 24 to Jan. 29, and it will also premiere on Showtime in the New Year. 799K views 1 year ago In today's murder and crime documentary, we're covering cases of the world's YOUNGEST killers. Some speculated that the Billings adopted children so that they could receive money from the government. Murder in Big Horn, a three-part documentary set on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations, will premiere at the internationally acclai, Two documentaries, "Black and Missing" and "Murdered and Missing in Montana," break the true-crime mold and instead highlight cases of Black a. Bear Dont Walk remembers watching, listening and drawing . Investigating the Billings Murders One moment, they were sleeping peacefully in their Florida home. While DNA tests conducted on the murder weapon and the shell casings didnt conclusively match Leonard Jr, Frederick identified him as the shooter. It's what they must rely on, to catch the killers and bring them to justice. The third and final episode does not tie a neat bow around the cases, nor does it attempt to solve them. He owned a pressure-cleaning business, and police believed he and Coldiron had done work at the home. Ashley and Blue now live in her parents' home and sleep in the same room where they were gunned down. The murders of Bud and Melanie Billings occurred on or about July 9, 2009, in Pensacola, Florida, United States. The Fort Belknap Indian Community Council announced a tribal police officer would be allowed to return to his regular duties after he shot and. Shacaiah Blue Harding, who was last seen in the Billings area in 2018 and is assumed to be a victim of sex trafficking, is also featured. Filmmakers Razelle Benally and Matthew Galkin spent more than two years working on the documentary. For instance, the skin under Byrds fingers was there after he grabbed his killer. Authorities said the crime was carried out with military precision,, On July 11, a caller reported that a van matching the description of the one sheriffs were after was behind a shed at a residence in West Pensacola. The police have since set up a task force to determine if it is the work of asingle serial killer known as the Chicago Strangler. Investigators had also noted that Gonzalez Sr. was flustered on the day police showed up on his door, but no one had noted that he had an array of mental disorders, including schizophrenia. Detectives focused on the crime scene videos and observed the black boots worn by the home invaders. Ivan and Ivy MacDonald are sibling Blackfeet filmmakers. Leonard Sr also told the police that he was the getaway driver while the others broke into the house. We had to really balance the series, so when Native families or people watch this, they are not feeling like they are being exploited.. What followedquicklybecameone of the most infamous unsolved serial murder cases in American history. The Investigation Discovery series See No Evil covers the July 9, 2009 murders of Bud and Melanie Billings. Read More: How Did Megan Leann Holden Die? In the aftermath of Mallory's death, Alex Murdaugh's damage control raises alarm. We are given a chance to present this information and these stories in however way we want to present them, Benally said. Patrick collected overdue bills for her. Native Americans comprise 6.7% of the states population, yet they account for, on average, 26% of Montanas missing persons population. Theyreviewed surveillance tapes at a Walmart near Patricks home in Santa Rosa County, where they found footage of him purchasing the black boots and black clothing. Fortunately, none of the children were harmed. All the historical issues that emanated from colonization hundreds of years ago, that was the butterfly effect of how we got to where we are today.. When you are Native and you grow up in a community, you just know how to talk to folks, especially elders and older women, Benally said. In Pensacola Florida, two loving parents are brutally gunned down in their own home. Ivan and Ivy produced Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible, an award-winning documentary about MMIW and resilience, and they have two other documentaries in post-production stages one on bison revitalization efforts on the Blackfeet Reservation and one on the MMIW crisis in the Blackfeet community. Murders at Moselle. This week on Reasonable Doubt, the team takes on the Raul and Cathy Sarinana were sentenced to death for abusing Would love your thoughts, please comment. The Billings had sixteen security cameras throughout the home. He was sentenced to death for the first two counts and life in prison for the invasion. Keeping the community informed is important. PENSACOLA, Fla. (CBS/AP) The ringleader who led a group of armed men dressed as ninjas in the robbery and murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings, a Florida couple known for adopting children with. Ayasha Momberg, 6, holds a photo of her cousin Ashley Heavyrunner Loring, 20, who disappeared from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in north-central Montana in the summer of 2017. Two of the women were never found. The series will premiere at Sundance, the largest independent film festival in the U.S., on Jan. 22. Melanie was around 25 years old when she met Byrd and the two married in 1993, just four months after Byrds divorce from his second wife. He was first shot in the leg, later being taken into the bedroom with Melanie and one of their children. It turned out that there was more to the Billings family than the all-American history that their prior media image implied. Before July 2009, Melanie and Bud were bestknown in Pensacola, Florida, as a generous, good-hearted couple who opened their home to children with severe disabilities. These are not true-crime stories to us. It provides a crash course in the scandals and deaths that have engulfed the old-money Murdaugh family for years, including a fatal boating accident, the mysterious deaths of a family housekeeper. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Patrick Gonzalez was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and armed home invasion robbery. But its an important thing that we are going through as Native communities, and the world at large needs to know, Brien said. Investigators tracked down Leonard Gonzalez and brought him in for questioning. Most of the nearly 80 people attending dressed in red, a symbol of the MMIW movement. So much of it is these generations of trauma that we havent had the opportunity to heal from, Simpson says in the series. Anyone that is older than myself, I have to sit and listen., Benally said she was adamant the production be made in an appropriate and ethical way. This case hits home with me, because they lived in my hometown of Pensacola. So, the news of their murders as part of a burglary shocked everyone. And most recently, one of the witnesses came forward, saying his testimony was false. Shot over 15 years, it is the real story of Wisconsin-based Steven Avery, who was wrongly accused of the sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen and had to serve 18 years in prison since his arrest in 1985. He was. The cop's only witness one that never lies surveillance cameras. Such exploitation is familiar to Benally, who has observed non-Native filmmakers extracting stories from her community the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota for decades. As they asked her some questions inside the house, they observed a shoe box for black combat boots. Hypothermia is the go-to answer to the dead Indian problem in Montana, Brien says in the documentary. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! He was well-known in the town as the previous owner of a nightclub called The Backseat, which burned down mysteriously after reports came out that the establishment was operating a brothel within its vicinity. Weve been historically excluded from that space, and theres been misinformation and miseducation. 2. The couple dedicated their lives to taking care of these kids. The only law enforcement official to comment was Eric Winburn, the former undersheriff for Big Horn County who resigned in August 2020 and now resides in Idaho. Eiteljorg Museum Curator Dorene Red Cloud said Sean Chandler was a clear choice for the selectors., Its been crazy, said Elias Jade NotAfraid. Since 2005, this award-winning blog has offered insights into the news and politics of Northwest Florida. 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