Peggy Phillips Broz, a 52-year-old female, was tragically killed on Friday, February 3, 2017, in the driveway of her home in Lillian, Alabama. A respected respiratory therapist, she was ambushed after returning from work by a duo who had been terrorizing communities across state lines. Her death was a senseless act of violence, committed by individuals who sought to steal her vehicle as they fled from other crimes.
The perpetrators were identified as William 'Billy' Boyette and his accomplice, Mary Rice. Their violent spree began days earlier in Florida with the murders of Alicia Greer and Jacqueline Moore at a motel in Milton. Following these killings, Boyette and Rice went on the run, leading to the fatal encounter with Broz. They followed her home and shot her in order to take her car. The stolen vehicle was later found abandoned.
The multi-state manhunt for Boyette and Rice continued after the murder of Broz. Their crime spree included another homicide, that of Kayla Crocker in Beulah, Florida, who was shot during a home invasion. The extensive search for the pair, which involved multiple law enforcement agencies, instilled fear throughout the region. The pursuit came to a dramatic end at a motel in West Point, Georgia.
Confronted by law enforcement and with no escape, Billy Boyette took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Mary Rice surrendered to the authorities and was taken into custody. In the aftermath, Rice faced multiple charges for her role in the violent crime spree. She was subsequently convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Kayla Crocker and as an accessory to the murders of Alicia Greer and Jacqueline Moore, receiving a life sentence plus 30 years in prison. While she was charged with capital murder in Alabama for the death of Peggy Broz, legal proceedings in Florida have so far taken precedence. In subsequent interviews from prison, Rice has claimed she was a victim who was kidnapped and forced to accompany Boyette, a claim prosecutors dispute, citing evidence of her willing participation.
