A nation is not defeated until the heart of its women are on the ground, Simpson said in the series, sharing a Cheyenne proverb. To learn more about the Billings Murder case, check out Jimmie Lee Staleys blog and Facebook page. Mrs. Gonzalez allowed detectives to take the shoe box and to tow the van. But she never expected , Last year, scholarships were up to $10,000 for returning undergraduate applicants, up to $12,500 for graduate and professional students and up. He'd incorporated a boat company and a different car company in the 1980s. As deputies searched the house, the couples nine adopted special needs children were found cowering in terror and hiding in closets. By highlighting family narratives, the documentary shares the story of missing and murdered Indigenous people through the voices of Native people who have lived through such traumas for generations. Bud Billings, 66, and his wife, Melanie, 43, were found shot to death on July 9, 2009. Ivan and Ivy MacDonald, sibling Blackfeet filmmakers, helped produce the series. Like Benally, she was hesitant to talk with Galkin, not wanting to become involved with a project that wasnt going to ethically explore the underlying issues contributing to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Some speculated that the Billings adopted children so that they could receive money from the government. She was 16. Authorities also learned that he had a power-washing business and had worked at the Billings home before. : Emails From Death Row chronicles the complex case that had multiple people involved in the burglary plan, with everyone eventually facing justice. Detectives questioned the Billings children, and Justin provided a possible lead. During the series, she discusses the unsolved case of her aunt Beverly Diane Brien, found dead in 1977 at the Big Horn County Fairgrounds. The remaining suspects were charged with armed home invasion, robbery and murder. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The first-ever documentary film series about one of America's most infamous unsolved serial murder cases. All Rights Reserved, Slender Man stabbing, Waukesha, Wisconsin, Though he and Melanie had been married 18 years, Byrd "Bud" Billings had been married two times before. So, lets find out more about this case then, shall we? So, the news of their murders as part of a burglary shocked everyone. The Fort Belknap Indian Community Council announced a tribal police officer would be allowed to return to his regular duties after he shot and. Why Were the Billings Couple Murdered? suspected murder of his 67-year-old stepdaughter Karen Navarra, single serial killer known as the Chicago Strangler. What the footage does show is so clear in uncovering exactly what happened. top of page. We found that a series would allow us to go in-depth, as opposed to a singular film, said director Razelle Benally. Scenes are filmed in Billings, Hardin, Lame Deer and Crow Agency. Authorities had five of the seven suspects in custody and as detectives prepared to question them, the remaining two suspects surfaced: Patrick Gonzalez was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and armed home invasion robbery. These cases are our relatives.. As they asked her some questions inside the house, they observed a shoe box for black combat boots. Investigators learned that Bud Billings was a successful businessman who ran a finance company. Watch and see how Ashley's life is today. I couldnt do anything by myself, because I was a girl, and I was a Native girl.. Byrd was known to have money stored in a safe at his home, so the authorities did believe that the crime was financially motivated. Anthony Aiello of San Jose, California, was 90 years old when the police of Santa Clara County arrested him for the suspected murder of his 67-year-old stepdaughter Karen Navarra. Mrs. Gonzalez allowed detectives to take the shoe box and to tow the van. The video captured Byrd and Melanie talking to someone by the front door, after which two men dressed in black came up behind Byrd. The series, Murder in Big Horn, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January and will be available for streaming on Showtime Feb. 3, broken into three hour-long episodes. In the aftermath of Mallory's death, Alex Murdaugh's damage control raises alarm. A multi-agency task force arrested a Billings man Sunday who is accused of several previous crimes, including shooting a man earlier this month in Lockwood. Documentary & Special Interest. On July 9, 2009, gunmen broke into Melanie and Byrd "Bud" Billings' home and killed them while they lay in bed. The Billings family was well-known in the Pensacola, Florida, area. Byrd Billings, 66, was shot multiple times in the head and legs. Patrick Gonzalez was allowed to leave. When Chelysa Owens-Cyr got the call, she was stunned. We are given a chance to present this information and these stories in however way we want to present them, Benally said. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! "They were good people," she says. What followedquicklybecameone of the most infamous unsolved serial murder cases in American history. I think what he did is absolutely demonic to kill people in front of their kids, said Guy. The three-part series explores the unsolved deaths of Henny Scott, Kaysera Stops Pretty Places and Selena Not Afraid and the contributing factors to the countys disproportionately high rate of such cases. Im still processing it., When he was young, Bear Don't Walk said his uncles would visit each other and draw. You have permission to edit this article. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Melanie, Byrds wife, was twenty years younger than him. The elder Gonzalez may have been on the Billings property for his business. If you, or someone you know, has relevant information. This is the story of, The Highway Murders . He owned a pressure-cleaning business, and police believed he and Coldiron had done work at the home. There were eight people in total who faced charges related to this case, but only five of the number entered the Billings home, and the ringleader was later determined to be Leonard Gonzalez. The Billings used them to monitor their children. Directors Ian Clark Ben Mole I feel like its part of the fabric of Native women in this community. Yet the platform appealed to Benally as a way to bring the stories to a larger audience. Hypothermia is the go-to answer to the dead Indian problem in Montana, Brien says in the documentary. All perpetrators, even those who cooperated, received lengthy sentences. 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.. 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. They were the parents of 17 children, 13 of whom were adopted most of whom had disabilities. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Soon, others involved were arrested as well: Donnie Stallworth, Wayne Coldiron, Frederick Thornton, Rakeem Florence, and Gary Sumner. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. This is greater than myself, and I felt spiritually competent and confident enough to ensure that this would be done in a good way, especially in regard to family, Benally said. Wiggins was charged with being accessory after the fact. Florence and Thornton ultimately agreed to testify against their co-conspirators, and Leonard Gonzalez was soon identified as the ringleader and the main gunman. Citizen P.I. The others charged were Wayne Coldiron, Patrick Gonzalez, Donnie Ray Stallworth, Gary Sumner, Rakeem Florence, Frederick Lee Thornton Jr., and Pamela Wiggins. As police began looking at the Billings family history, they began to wonder if they were looking at a contract killing. The cop's only witness one that never lies surveillance cameras. 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. The MacDonalds cousin, Ashley Loring HeavyRunner, is one of thousands of missing or murdered Indigenous women, a crisis so prevalent it has its own acronym, MMIW. The Karate Killers on ID is investigating the truly shocking murders of husband and wife, Byrd "Bud" and Melanie Billings, who were butchered during a brutal home invasion at their home in Pensacola, Florida. In the end, everyone involved was either convicted or pled guilty and was sentenced appropriately. Do you, This was definitely in IL because we are friends with, Hi. At UM, Bird will work with tribal communities as well as prospective and current Native students to increase retention and provide support. that Leonard Gonzalez had revealed to authorities. Filmmakers Razelle Benally and Matthew Galkin spent more than two years working on the documentary. The next, they were innocent victims of a methodical murder plot. 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. Patrick collected overdue bills for her. Through interviews with law enforcement, state medical examiners, tribal leaders and victims families, the documentary tells the story of several missing or murdered Indigenous women in Montana. The ongoing murder investigation has led to eight arrests, but Ashley is still searching for answers. To learn more about the case, watch Floribama Murders, airing Saturdays at 9/8c on Oxygen. It was the home of Leonard Gonzalez, whose wife spoke with investigators. This community has faced hundreds of years of injustice.. Investigators tracked down Leonard Gonzalez and brought him in for questioning. They were scared to death, investigators said. The ongoing Murdaugh family saga exposes murders, a suspicious death and a complex labyrinth of corruption. Murder in Big Horn is directed by Razelle Benally, Oglala Lakota/Din, and Matthew Galkin and produced by the MacDonald siblings and Benally. Investigators theorized that the Billings case was a money score for Wiggins but turned into a "robbery that went horrifically bad, said Morgan. In 1988, eleven women vanished from the streets of New Bedford, Massachusetts. We are filmmakers, and we can only do so much.. The Billings family was well-known in the Pensacola, Florida, area. A bill brought by Rep. Tyson Running Wolf on behalf of the State-Tribal Relations Committee aims to bolster these community-led search efforts. 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. He had participated and been sentenced to probation for an adoption scam with one of his wives: He and Cindy Reeve had pleaded, Update: Police Release Dead Serial Killers Account of Murder of Samantha Koenig. These are not true-crime stories to us. He was first shot in the leg, later being taken into the bedroom with Melanie and one of their children. After years of closing the case of the murder of Byrd and Melanie Billings, spectators thought that justice had been served. 10 The Keepers (2017) 'The Keepers' is a dark, disturbing investigation into the unsolved murder of a nun named Sister Catherine Cesnik. and nearly three decades of unanswered questions. She was later charged with being an accessory after the fact. The getaway drivers were believed to be waiting in the car. Detectives questioned the Billings children, and Justin. 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. The bodies of entrepreneur Byrd Bud Billings, 66, and his wife, Melinda, 43, were found in the master bedroom of the sprawling estate. In 2015, Leonard Sr and Pamela died while serving time in prison. July 17, 2009. Authorities said the crime was carried out with military precision, abcnews.go.com reported. The tapes showed a large red passenger van had pulled into the driveway at the time of the slayings. For instance, the skin under Byrds fingers was there after he grabbed his killer. You have permission to edit this article. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. What these families have lost is universally relatable. Nobody would know me or trust me in this area, and I knew that going in with eyes wide open, and I wouldnt expect them to trust me.. Tice told . The crime scene photos . And why did the name Cab Tice keep coming up in the interviews police conducted to understand the connections between the suspects and the Billings family? 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Investigation Discoverys Citizen P.I. 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. 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. That DNA doesnt match anyone arrested. 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. While DNA tests conducted on the murder weapon and the shell casings didnt conclusively match Leonard Jr, Frederick identified him as the shooter. Aiello was the oldest man suspect ever held in the county, but he died before he could stand trial for murder. The man arrested was Leonard Lenny Gonzalez Sr., who later shared that the car belonged to his son Leonard Patrick Jr. After being apprehended, the state attorney declared that Leonard Sr. had admitted to the crime. The next, they were innocent victims of a methodical murder plot. Most of the nearly 80 people attending dressed in red, a symbol of the MMIW movement. 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