Slain couple's daughter to testify

PENSACOLA, Fla., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The daughter of a Florida couple killed during a home invasion will be the first witness at the trial of a man accused in their deaths, prosecutors say.

Assistant State Attorney John Molchan said he plans to call Ashley Markham to testify following opening statements Tuesday at the trial of Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., the Pensacola News Journal reported.

Gonzalez is considered by the prosecution to be one of the organizers of a group of seven that invaded the Beulah home of Byrd and Melanie Billings in July 2009.

The couple's nine special-needs children were in the house when the couple were marched into their bedroom and shot to death during a robbery.

Gonzalez faces charges of first-degree murder and home invasion.

The state's two key witnesses both participated in the robbery and entered plea agreements in exchange for their testimony.

Ten arrests were made in the attack.