Two More Arrests Made in Mysterious Murder of Florida Couple

[Akoto]

Source: ABC News

Two more suspects have been arrested in connection to the baffling July 9 murder mystery of a Florida couple known for adopting disabled children, bringing the total number in custody to six, according to the Associated Press.

--snip--

Police say the murder of a Florida couple may have been a "military operation" gone wrong in which the suspects tried but failed to disarm the couple's elaborate security system.

"We believe that this one suspect, that we've yet to develop any leads on … but one of the people's job was to take care of the surveillance system," Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan told "Good Morning America" today. " that's just speculation."

"We believe that these seven people are tied directly to the deaths of the Billings," Morgan said, adding that investigators are also interested in an eighth person in connection to the killings.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=8076731&page=1

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Video at link. Per a news conference taking place on CNN now, they have apprehended the seventh participant. However, his picture has not been released because he's sixteen years old. The Sheriff says that they have received flat-out confessions from some of the suspects being held.

[WriteDown]

1. 16?

Geez.

[cigsandcoffee]

2. So far, the alleged killers have achieved more diversity than The Valley Swim Club.

:-|

[AnnieBW]

3. I'll bet that someone was going after their kid(s)

The couple had adopted several special-needs children. (Good for them!) I'll bet a doughnut that the person or persons behind this crime were fathers whose kids were given up for adoption and wanted them back. It makes the most sense. Then again, when does a crime like this make sense?

[aquart]

4. Yeah. Lotta special needs fathers want back in.

I'd believe alien landings first.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. Sadly, I agree.

[Ian David]

5. More likely a bunch of white supremacists who wanted to "kill some retards." n/t

[brokensymmetry]

6. Strange crime.

What could they possibly expect to steal that would
be worth it? Even if there was a large amount of
cash, once it was split so many ways it wouldn't
amount to much. It sounds as if the killing of
the couple was planned and intentional - why add to
the seriousness of the robbery? On the other hand,
if they were determined to kill all witnesses, why
did they not harm the children?

Odd. Truly odd.

[get the red out]

7. +1

Nothing about this crime makes any sense at all.

[PassingFair]

8. It will, soon enough.

Apparently, the criminals are singing like birds.

I suspect it has something to do with one of
the Billing's businesses.

[Blue_Tires]

14. we will see...

however, if the criminals stick to their "it was just a simple robbery" story, i'll find it hard to swallow, ala Sean Taylor (which probably still was a dumb, bungled robbery-turned-shooting, but has a lot of loose ends)...

[JayMusgrove]

11. Few crimes really do when you come right down to it. But usually

there's drugs, sex, money or a combination......

I wonder if the Billings were always all that "clean" along any of those lines.

[get the red out]

15. agree

These guys went to a lot of trouble and planning to rob a house, then murder two people in the process (greatly increasing their punishment if caught) like nervous amateurs. There is a missing piece or something.

[bobthedrummer]

10. Florida is notorious for all kinds of abuse of children-this reminds me of The Finders case

Here's an archived thread that goes into a lot of detail about another Florida case from 2007 that involved a Homeland Security employee and 19 other adults.

"Police: Men With Toys, Instruments Traveled To 'Ravish' Children" (started by The Straight Story 7-23-07)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1409252

[Tim01]

12. "military operation" gone wrong"

Whos military? For what?

[get the red out]

16. Those words stuck with me too

Who calls a robery a "military operation"? You don't even call a common murder a military operation.

[Akoto]

17. It appears that a couple of the guys had paramilitary backgrounds.

So, they were probably referring to the style of planning behind the robbery.

[Tim01]

18. Then this sounds a LOT like a south american drug gang. nt

[Blue_Tires]

13. i hate to be cynical in a tragedy like this, but

someone may have to look into their business dealings and see if there are any shady dealings...no matter how big that house is, there should be nothing in it that would make it worthwhile to rob (after splitting the take 7 ways)...Unless the victims were the type to buy gold and bury it in the backyard for the coming new world order, this seems much more like a hit than a robbery...

[Chemisse]

19. Something is definitely very fishy here

7 people agreed that this couple should be killed, planned it and practiced it, then made off with a safe. If it was pure robbery, there would have been no need to kill anyone.

Could they have been witnesses to some crime, could they have been in a child porn ring, could they have been spies? I am curious to hear the real story.

[Mopar151]

20. Try stupid.

I hear one ringleader is a martial arts guy - 27000 shots to the dome take their toll...truly.