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Florida man wanted in 3 killings is dead, sheriff’s office says

Posted at 7:40 PM, Feb 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-07 19:40:22-05
Authorities are searching for an armed man and woman wanted in three slayings and a separate shooting over the past week in southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle. William "Billy" Boyette and Mary Rice are considered armed and dangerous, police said.

Authorities are searching for an armed man and woman wanted in three slayings and a separate shooting over the past week in southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle. William “Billy” Boyette and Mary Rice are considered armed and dangerous, police said.

(CNN) — A Florida man suspected of being involved in three killings is dead and his female alleged accomplice was taken into custody, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

The department’s announcement came after authorities in Troup County, Georgia, said William “Billy” Boyette Jr., 44, and Mary Barbara Craig Rice, 37, were reported to be inside the West Point Motel near the border with Alabama.

After an hourslong standoff, the female suspect surrendered and police found the body of a man with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Georgia officials said.

The Troup County sheriff’s office didn’t release the identities of either person. Escambia County announced on Twitter that Boyette was dead and Rice was captured.

The pair were wanted in three slayings and a separate shooting over the past week in southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle.

Boyette is a suspect in the killings of two women in Northwest Florida last Tuesday as well as the fatal shooting of another woman in Alabama on Friday, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities say Boyette may have dyed her hair orange. The pair are wanted on murder and robbery charges in the killing of Peggy Broz, 52, Friday morning at her home in Lillian, Alabama, according to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities say they stole Broz’s car and fled to nearby Florida.

The pair are believed to be behind the shooting of Kayla Crocker, 28, during a home invasion in suburban Pensacola on Monday morning. Crocker is in the hospital, police told CNN affiliate WEAR-TV.

Law enforcement said Crocker was randomly targeted about 6:30 a.m. Monday by the suspects. Her 2-year-old son was present in the house and was unharmed, police said.

Boyette and Rice allegedly stole Crocker’s vehicle and drove to a gas station and then to a Hardee’s for breakfast, WEAR reports.

“We are looking now aggressively for someone who is a killer in our community,” Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said at a press conference.

The investigation began January 31, when Boyette was named as a suspect in the killings of Alicia Greer, 30, and Jacqueline Moore, 39. The two women were found shot to death in a motel room in Milton, Florida, police said.

Greer and Boyette had started dating several months ago, her parents Wayne and Kim Lane told CNN affiliate WALA. Her mother described Greer as “goofy” and “bubbly” and said she would do anything for anybody, according to WALA.

It was not clear Tuesday whether Rice is connected to those killings, but Sheriff Johnson of Santa Rosa County said she will face charges of accessory after the fact.

Boyette has an extensive criminal history, including accusations of aggravated battery and domestic violence, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office said.