Karate instructor who masterminded 'ninja group' killing of wealthy couple faces death penalty
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:44 PM on 26th October 2010
Charged: Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jnr., is charged with masterminding the double killing of Byrd and Melanie Billings as their nine disabled children cowered nearby
A karate instructor is facing the death penalty for masterminding a 'ninja group' double killing of a wealthy couple in July 2009.
Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr, 36, is charged with organising the break-in and entry at Byrd and Melanie Billings' house near Pensacola, Florida, and their killing, which was done as the couple's nine young disabled children cowered or slept nearby.
The group, dressed in black ninja outfits, peppered the bedroom with bullets, shooting the couple in the face and head during a botched attempt to steal a cash-filled safe.
Investigators have said Mr Gonzalez required his alleged partners-in-crime to dress in the clothing for the attack.
Six co-defendants at the trial, which begins today, have been charged with first-degree murder.
Several could testify against Mr Gonzalez and name him as the man who fatally shot Mr Billings, who owned a company that financed used-car purchases.
Two of Mr Gonzalez's co-defendants are scheduled to testify against him, prosecutor Bill Eddins revealed.
But none of the young children, who were unharmed in the attack, are expected to testify about what they saw in their home that night, said Mr Eddins.
Mr Gonzalez, a married father of six, is a longtime karate instructor who grew up learning martial arts at a karate studio in nearby Gulf Breeze owned by his stepfather and mother.
He and his wife taught self-defence to women and children and solicited donations from local businesses for their work.
Several potential jurors said yesterday they did not feel comfortable deciding if Mr Gonzalez should live or die.
One man told the court that he felt strongly the death penalty was a waste of taxpayers' money because of the lengthy appeal process.
Mr Gonzalez's defence lawyers have asked Circuit Judge Nicholas Geeker to move the trial out of Pensacola, saying extensive local and national media coverage has tainted the jury pool.
They made reference to national appearances by Ashley Markham, the couple's adult daughter, on the Oprah Winfrey Show and by Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan on CNN and other national television shows.
But Judge Geeker ruled earlier this month that he must first try to seat a jury from the four counties he oversees before he considers relocating the two-week trial.
Among the evidence expected to be presented is surveillance video taken from the home on the night of the killings.
The shadowy, time-lapse video shows armed intruders dressed in black barging into the couple's living room. Melanie Billings is seen protectively grabbing what appears to be a child.
The Billingses were fatally shot in their bedroom, where there were no video cameras.
A safe that was taken from the family's home contained nothing of value, but a second safe that wasn't stolen had $164,000 (£104,000) in cash, court records show.
According to autopsy reports, Melanie Billings, 43, was shot twice in her chest, and in the face and head.
Byrd Billings, 66, was shot multiple times in the head and legs.
The crime scene photos show dozens of bullet holes throughout the living room and bedroom and a trail of blood along the living room floor.
In his initial interview with investigators, Mr Gonzalez suggested a group of car dealers with a grudge against Byrd Billings wanted him killed, or 'whacked'.
He also told investigators that he and one of Byrd Billings's grown sons, Justin, had worked together as 'enforcers' to get payments from people who had fallen behind.
The nine adopted children in the home, all between the ages of four and 11 at the time of break-in, have varying disabilities ranging from Down's syndrome to fetal alcohol syndrome and autism.
The silent surveillance video footage from the children's bedrooms shows two of the children remaining still during the break-in.
A third is in her bedroom alone when the attackers arrive, and their van can be seen through her window.
The girl walks to the window and appears to watch the men enter.
She then gets back in the bed and pulls the covers around her. She gets up a second time before returning to bed and putting her head on the pillow as the tape ends.
Miss Markham told talkshow host Winfrey that she and her husband are raising the children in the home where their parents died
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