Escambia County Sheriff’s Office(NEW YORK) — The weeklong manhunt for alleged killer William “Billy” Boyette and his alleged accomplice Mary Rice is over, officials said.
The Escambia County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office tweeted this evening that Boyette is dead and Rice has been captured. Boyette is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Troup County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately provide additional details but about 30 minutes earlier the Troup County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office said it appeared that the pair were holed up inside a motel in West Point, Georgia, near the Alabama border. The sheriff’s office said that once it received word that Boyette and Rice were inside the motel, authorities surrounded the area.
The duo was on the run and considered armed and dangerous after the shooting deaths of three women in Florida and Alabama.
In Escambia County, Florida — where uniformed and plainclothes officers were increasing patrols — the sheriff’s office on Monday called Boyette, 44, and Rice, 37, moving targets, saying they were believed to be moving through wooded areas and may be along the Florida-Alabama border. U.S. Marshals from across the country, along with bloodhounds and helicopters, were taking part in the search, officials said.
“We have a killer in our midst,” said Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan.
The first reported crime was on Jan. 31, in Santa Rosa County, Florida, when Alicia Greer, 30, and Jacqueline Moore, 39, were found shot to death at an inn, Morgan said.
Greer, a mother of three, was allegedly in an abusive relationship with Boyette, the victim’s father told ABC affiliate WEAR-TV in Pensacola. Authorities said the other victims don’t appear to have any connection to Boyette.
On Feb. 3, in nearby Baldwin County, Alabama, 52-year-old Peggy Broz was discovered shot to death in her driveway, Morgan said. Officials said Tuesday that both Boyette and Rice were involved in the fatal shooting.
On Feb. 6, in Escambia County, Florida, 28-year-old Kayla Crocker was shot and injured during a home invasion, they added. Crocker’s white Chevrolet Cobalt was stolen, and Morgan said that video surveillance showed the duo took the car.
We just received these recent pictures of Boyette and Rice. Now believed to be traveling in a white 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt Fl Tag #9613BJ. pic.twitter.com/mDQhvp48aG
— ESCO News (@ECSONews) February 6, 2017
Santa Rosa County, Florida, Sheriff Bob Johnson Tuesday morning said there is no doubt Rice is a “willing participant” in the crime-spree.
Regarding Boyette, Johnson said, “it’s just a matter of time” before he’s caught. The pair were last seen in west Escambia County, Alabama, he said.
“Sooner or later he’s going to make a mistake and when he does were gonna pounce on him,” Johnson said. “Hopefully we can get to him before he does anything stupid again.”
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