Florida will seek death penalty for man accused of murdering his family

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Florida is seeking the death penalty for a Jacksonville man who is accused of fatally shooting three members of his family in their home in December, a legal filing reveals.

William Conway Broyles, a 57-year-old church music director who turned himself in to law enforcement after he allegedly confessed to murdering his wife and two adult children, acted "in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification," the state said in a death penalty filling, FOX 30 of Jacksonville reported.

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"The victim of the capital felony was particularly vulnerable due to advanced age or disability, or because the defendant stood in a position of familial or custodial authority over the victim (Count 2)," the state added, according to the report.

The state’s "Notice of Intent to Seek Death Penalty and Notice of Aggravating Factors" was filed Jan. 26, after Broyles’ three counts of second-degree murder were upgraded by a Nassau County grand jury to three counts of first-degree murder two weeks earlier, FOX 30 reported.

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Broyles was arrested Dec. 1 after he called police and confessed to shooting his wife, Candace L. Broyles, 57; his daughter, Cora Lynn Broyles, 27; and his son, Aaron Christopher Broyles, 28, each multiple times, WJXT-TV reported. 

William Conway Broyles, 57, shot and killed his wife, daughter and son inside their home in December 2021. (Nassau County Sheriff's Office)

"This case is just tragic. It just, it’s crazy. It just doesn’t make sense," Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said during a news conference, according to the report. "Later on he told us that he shot each victim multiple times, just to make sure they didn’t suffer."

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Broyles shot his wife in the living room before he went into his daughter’s bedroom, where he then repeatedly shot her, the sheriff said. The suspect then shot and killed his son in a bedroom before he contemplated taking his own life, according to the report.

"When he was asked why he didn’t just shoot himself, he said he was too scared to do that," Leeper said.

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During the initial hearing, Broyles pleaded not guilty, FOX 30 reported. He was being held without bond.

Broyles has served as director of music ministries at Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church for 23 years, WJXT reported.