Three arrested in murder of Florida couple, who had numerous adopted disabled children

From the New York Daily News:

Three people have been arrested in the murder of a wealthy Florida couple with a dozen adopted special-needs children in what authorities say was a killing with multiple motives and more potential suspects.

Day laborer Wayne Coldiron, 41, and his purported sidekick Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., 35, were in custody July 13 for the murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings, who were found shot dead in their Beulah home Thursday night while eight of their children slept.

The children, ranging from 8 to 14 years old, were unharmed and were being cared for by relatives, authorities said.

Gonzalez’s father, Lenoard Patrick Gonzalez, Sr., 56, was arrested on evidence-tampering charges.

The suspects were due in court Monday.

The motive for the murders remained murky, but Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said the case opened “a window into something bigger."

He said the suspects appeared to be linked by a tangled web of relationships but declined to elaborate.

“We are very anxious to share this story ... it’s going to be a humdinger, I’ll tell you that,” Morgan said after the arrests were announced Sunday.

Morgan said more arrests were expected. He added that it did not appear that the victims knew their killers.

Gonzalez's father told investigators that several other men were involved in the crime, which he said began as a burglary.

He said he was the getaway driver and waited while the others broke into the spacious, nine-bedroom house west of Penascola near the Alabama state line.

Morgan said the elder Gonzalez “was covering damage and painting” the red Dodge getaway van, which the sheriff called “the linchpin in this case.”

The van was discovered Saturday after authorities distributed photos from the home’s extensive video surveillance system.

The video showed three armed, masked suspects arrive in the van, enter the house and then return to the vehicle, according to the arrest warrants.

The slain couple, married for 18 years, were known in the area for providing a home for children with autism, Down syndrome and other developmental problems.

They had 16 children, 12 of them adopted and two each from previous marriages.

Their house was carefully designed to accommodate special-needs children and had a camera in every room, according to a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal.

The couple told the newspaper they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but didn’t imagine their family would grow so large.

“It just happened,” Melanie told the newspaper. “I just wanted to give them a better life.”