Alabama

Officials: Suspect in 3 slayings shot himself in standoff

Associated Press
Published | Updated

A man suspected in the killings of three women is dead after a standoff Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017, with police at a Georgia motel, and a female suspect has been arrested, a U.S. Marshals Service spokesman said. William "Billy" Boyette, 44, was dead after the standoff in West Point, Ga., and authorities had taken 37-year-old Mary Rice into custody, U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Jim Joyner said in an email. The pair had holed up inside a room at the motel. (Todd J. Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News via AP) (The Associated Press)

In this arrest photo made available by the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, Fla., shows William "Billy" Boyette, under arrest in June 2015. Authorities in Alabama issued capital murder warrants Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017, as the search continued across two states for Boyette and Mary Rice. They are wanted in the deaths of three women and the attempted killing of another. (Escambia County Sheriff's Office via AP) (The Associated Press)

A man suspected in the killings of three women is dead after a standoff Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017, with police at a Georgia motel, and a female suspect has been arrested, a U.S. Marshals Service spokesman said. William "Billy" Boyette, 44, was dead after the standoff in West Point, Ga., and authorities had taken 37-year-old Mary Rice into custody, U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Jim Joyner said in an email. The pair had holed up inside a room at the motel. (Todd J. Van Emst/Opelika-Auburn News via AP) (The Associated Press)

Authorities say a man suspected in the killings of two women in Florida and one in Alabama died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, putting an end to a standoff with police at a Georgia motel.

Escambia County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Amber Southard in Florida confirmed that 44-year-old William "Billy" Boyette fatally shot himself Tuesday evening at the motel. Boyette and 37-year-old Mary Rice had holed up inside a room at the motel, and Rice was taken into custody.

Dominic Guadagnoli of the U.S. Marshals Service earlier told the Pensacola News Journal that the stolen vehicle the couple had been driving was seen at the motel, and that Rice checked into the motel using her real name.

Officials say the bodies of 30-year-old Alicia Greer and 39-year-old Jacqueline Jeanette Moore were found Jan. 31. On Friday, 52-year-old Peggy Broz was fatally shot and her car was stolen.