Friends, loved ones remember Billings

Funeral services for Byrd and Melanie Billings begin at 11 a.m., Friday. The Beulah, Florida couple was shot to death during a home invasion robbery last week. Visitation was held Thursday. Friends and Family are still trying to come to terms with their tragic deaths.

"It's just terrible. It's just terrible. It's just hard to put into words really," said family friend, Becky Biggs.

Words can't describe what this Gulf Coast community is going through after the shocking deaths of Byrd and Melanie Billings.

"What do you say? It's just unreal that somebody could do something like that to people like Melanie and Byrd," said Biggs.

One after the other, friends, neighbors, even strangers arrived for a visitation at Liberty Church in Pensacola to show support and outrage.

One family friend, Wanda Moredo, had a clipping of the suspect's pictures from the paper. "You see these people? They are trash," said Moredo.  "If I had a trash can I would throw them right in front of them. I wanted to burn it. I want them all to pay, every one of them."

Moredo was visibly upset at Thursday's visitation, but says she'll never forget Byrd's kind heart.

"Me and Bud were just good friends, and when I moved to Pensacola, I'll just never forget his big smile," she said. "He just smiled all the time. That's what I'm going to remember about Bud, his smile."

Becky Biggs worked with many of Billing's special needs children. She says Melanie couldn't have been nicer.

"She was a very nice person, very friendly. She never had a bad word to say," said Biggs. "We pretty much saw her on a regular basis, just a very nice person."

The couple will be laid to rest Friday, but residents know the family is still in need.

"We wish them the best," said one supporter. "Our hearts are with them right now and we know it's a tough time and we're here for them."

The funeral service will start at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. It's also at Liberty Church in Pensacola. Burial will follow at Pensacola Memorial Gardens.

As for the investigation, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office held a news conference Thursday morning. Sheriff David Morgan says the investigation is wrapping up, but investigators are still tying up some loose ends.

So far, eight people have been arrested in association with the Billings murder.