BEULAH, Fla., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A Florida couple killed during a home invasion were victims not only of robbery but also a murder-for-hire, CNN reported Friday.
The report quoted an unnamed source with knowledge of the investigation into the July 9 fatal shooting of Byrd and Melanie Billings, a Beulah, Fla., couple known for adopting special-needs children.
Seven suspects face murder charges, and an eighth is accused of being an accessory after the fact.
Prosecutors believe most of the suspects thought robbery was the sole motive, but Leonard Gonzalez Jr. and other suspects who were not named or arrested knew it was part of contract killing, CNN quoted its source as saying. The source was not sure of a motive for a possible contract murder.
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said at a press conference Friday his office believed robbery was the primary motive. But he said police have not ruled out a contract murder.
"We want to ensure the citizens of Escambia County that we are not in any way, shape or form of the imagination taking that possibility or probability off the table in the conduct of the Billings murder," he said.
Early in the investigation, he said, police had "uncorroborated information that would lead a reasonable person to believe that this (a possible murder-for-hire) was an avenue of the investigation that we should in fact pursue."
"We have and will continue to do that very thing," he said.
CNN quoted Greg Marcille of the Escambia County state's attorney's office as saying investigators were considering a contract hit, but believed "the prime motive was robbery."
"We will consider all possibilities and review any evidence that is brought forward regarding the issue of motive in this case," he said.
