Family attorney: Slain Fla. couple made small donation to suspect’s self-defense program

Attorney: Slain Fla. couple donated to suspect

PENSACOLA, Fla. — A slain Florida couple once made a small donation to a martial arts program run by one of the men accused of killing them, a family attorney said Wednesday.

Byrd and Melanie Billings were shot to death earlier this month during a break-in at their home west of Pensacola. The couple was known for adopting 13 children with special needs.

One of the suspects in the slaying, Leonard Gonzalez Jr., told investigators he had opened a martial arts studio with financial help from the victims, according to court records released this week.

But family attorney Crystal Spencer told reporters Wednesday that the aid was just a small donation by Byrd, probably less than $1,000, to a self-defense program Gonzalez ran.

“He made a donation in a nominal amount,” Spencer said a news conference. “That would not have been out of his character.”

The court records were the first indication that Byrd, 66, and Melanie, 43, had financial ties with any of the suspects. The Billingses, who also had four children from previous marriages, were killed July 9 in their sprawling home by masked men — some dressed as ninjas.

Gonzalez and six other men are charged with murder in the killings. He proclaimed his innocence in court, but other suspects have told investigators he planned the attack.

In an affidavit for a warrant to search Gonzalez’s home, investigators wrote that he told them he knew the Billingses because they had given him money to open the studio.

Nine of the Billings children were home during the attack, and one went to a neighbor who called for help. The children were not hurt.

The house had an extensive surveillance system that authorities said captured the men entering, shooting the Billingses and leaving within four minutes.

A safe was taken during the precisely executed break-in and authorities have said robbery may have been a motive.