A Beulah, Florida couple, Melanie and Byrd Billings, who had 16 children, were found shot to death on July 9, 2009. Authorities in Escambia County believe the couple was during a home invasion. At the time of the killing, some of the couples' children were said to have been home.http://www.wkrg.com/crime/article/double-homicide-near-pensacola/175032/Jul-10-2009_11-27-am/

By July 14, 2009, police had a total of seven suspects in custody, Wayne Coldiron, Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr. and Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr., Donnie Ray Stallworth, Gary Sumner and Frederick Lee Thorton.http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-07-14-parentslain_N.htm

The Billings couple from Beulah, Florida, were the parents to 16 children. 12 of the children were adopted and some of them were special needs children.http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/10/Florida.couple.killed/index.html The Billings had been married for eighteen years. When they met, they both had two children from prior marriages. In 2005, the couple was featured in a Pensacola News Journal article. They were well known in their area and owned several businesses.http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-bk-couple-who-adopted-12-kids-slain-071009,0,6885911.story