Slain Fla. couple laid to rest

updated 8:04 p.m. ET July 17, 2009

PENSACOLA, Fla. - He was a 66-year-old entrepreneur who dabbled in used cars, boats and the adult industry before finally hitting it big. She was a 43-year-old country music lover who fed the homeless and was devoted to her MySpace page.

Together, they adopted 13 children with autism, Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities and lived in a sprawling home west of Pensacola. And together they were slain there in a well-choreographed invasion captured on surveillance video.

A fuller profile of Byrd and Melanie Billings began to emerge Friday as hundreds of friends and family attended their funeral and recalled them as loving and tireless advocates for disabled children, and for their own four kids.

But interviews and court records also portray Byrd Billings as a former strip club owner-turned used car dealer who was once sentenced to probation for an adoption scam. He frequently crossed paths with "shady characters," according to an ex-wife, but police have offered no evidence linking his past to the murders of Billings and his wife.

This enigmatic portrait is right in line with the case that has captured attention across the country. A week after the fatal burglary in which eight people were arrested — including a 16-year-old and a well-known businesswoman — there remain almost as many questions as answers.

Why would well-practiced thieves target a home with a security camera in every room? Who was Byrd Billings? And what does Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan mean when he says investigators expect motives to emerge beyond simple robbery?

No cash in safe
One key question was addressed Friday when, in a bizarre turn, the family attorney disclosed the contents of a safe the intruders made off with — details investigators had refused to release for days. Crystal Spencer, the attorney and spokeswoman, said it contained "important family documents," children's prescriptions and jewelry with "sentimental value," but did not offer any additional details.

"Hopefully this will put to rest the intense speculation and rumors that are swirling around the Billings family," she said.

Video   New details in couple’s murder July 17: As funeral services are held for Byrd and Melanie Billings, investigators recover more evidence in the crime. NBC’s Mark Potter reports. Today show

That's hardly likely, as much of the couple's background remains shrouded in mystery — including how they made their fortune — and Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan's assertion that the killers' motives involved more than simple robbery remain unexplained.

Here's what is clear so far: Known around Pensacola as "Bud," Byrd Billings spent his early years in Mississippi and Tennessee. He owned a car dealership in Mississippi in the 1980s, and incorporated a boat company in 1976. The corporation was dissolved in the 1980s.

In divorce records from the dissolution of his second marriage, in 1993, Billings reported having a net worth of just $1,400, including total cash assets of $100 and a net monthly income of $1,190. Four months after the divorce, Melanie became his third wife.

At the time of their death, they were living in a $700,000 home — opulent by Pensacola standards — and associates say they employed several people to care for the children. But how they got there from such a humble beginning to their marriage is unclear.

Adoption scam?
Byrd's background also includes a strange criminal case. In 1990, he and his second wife, Cindy Reeve, pleaded nolo contendere — which means they did not admit guilt but agreed to a punishment — to charges they doctored birth records and tried to obtain a newborn for $2,100. They both received two years probation which was later amended to a year.

When reached by The Associated Press, Reeve said she wanted to be left alone and the adoption "got blowed out of proportion."

However, she said Byrd "always dealt with shady characters."

At the time of their divorce, the documents show, Billings worked as a consultant for Back Seat Inc., a holding company for a topless bar, which opened in 1990 and no longer exists. Arety Kapatanis, owner of the Pensacola strip club Arety's Angels, said Billings turned her life around after hiring her there as a waitress.

"Bud Billings was a man of integrity. He was generous," Kapatanis said. "He ran his business in the most professional manner. It could have been a shoe store or a bakery. I mean, this type of business tends to get a really bad rap. People expect shady dealings and they expect all kind of things like that. There was never any of that with Bud."

Billings later opened a used car lot, which according to state business records was registered to Melanie and her daughter, Ashley Markham. The business runs on a worn-out slab, surrounded by pawn shops and bail bond companies. Next-door is the Billings' Worldco Financial Services.

Ted Roy, the sheriff's office spokesman, says investigators do not believe Byrd Billings' current or former business dealings were related to the murders.

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