William Eugene Boyette

Serial Killer

William Eugene Boyette: The 2017 Gulf Coast Killing Spree

Overview

William Eugene "Billy" Boyette Jr. was a 44-year-old Florida man responsible for a violent series of killings that left four women dead across northwest Florida and coastal Alabama in early 2017. Beginning on January 31 and ending on February 7, the crimes triggered an intensive multistate manhunt involving local sheriff's departments, state authorities, and the United States Marshals Service. Boyette traveled with Mary Barbara Craig Rice during much of the spree, using stolen vehicles and moving between communities as authorities attempted to locate them. Boyette is sometimes described as a serial killer because he killed multiple victims during separate incidents and in different locations. However, because the four deaths occurred during an extremely compressed eight-day period with Boyette continuously fleeing authorities, the crimes are also commonly characterized as a killing spree. Whatever terminology is used, the case became one of the most alarming crime stories to emerge from the Florida Panhandle in 2017.

History of Violence Before the Murders

Boyette was well known to law enforcement before the 2017 killings. Contemporary court records and reporting described him as a habitual offender with criminal cases stretching back more than a decade. He had previously been accused of serious domestic violence against women, including allegations of beatings, threats, strangulation and stabbing. Some of the most serious cases against him did not result in convictions after alleged victims recanted statements, became unavailable to prosecutors, or could not be located. One reported domestic violence incident involved a girlfriend who initially denied being attacked but later told investigators that Boyette had beaten her and repeatedly threatened to kill her. The case was ultimately dropped after she recanted. In another case, a woman contacted police and accused Boyette of stabbing and strangling her. Deputies reportedly found Boyette unconscious while holding a kitchen knife, but prosecution of that case also collapsed when the alleged victim disappeared while she was wanted on unrelated charges. Boyette had served time for a probation violation and had reportedly been out of jail for only several months when the murders began. Law enforcement officials later emphasized that his lengthy history of violence made the search particularly dangerous. Authorities repeatedly warned the public not to approach him. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Alicia Greer Age: (30), Date of Death: 2017-01-31

Suspected serial killer dead