Slain Couple's Daughter to Raise 13 Kids

26-year-old Daughter of Fla. Couple Says She Plans to Care for Their Special Needs Children

(AP)  The adult daughter of a slain Florida couple known for adopting 13 special needs children said she is planning to move into her parents' home and raise the children as her own.

Ashley Markham, 26, told the Pensacola News Journal in Sunday's editions that she and her husband intend to care for the children, saying it was her mother's wish.

A phone message was left by The Associated Press on Sunday with her attorney, Crystal Spencer.

Markham also defended her parents, Byrd and Melanie Billings, whose lives and deaths had gained national attention since the July 9 attack.

Byrd Billings, 66, was an entrepreneur who had dabbled in used cars, boats and the adult entertainment industry. His 43-year-old wife was a country music lover who fed the homeless and was devoted to her MySpace page. They adopted 13 children with autism, Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities and lived in a sprawling home west of Pensacola.

Markham said her father was able to build a comfortable life for the family through a lifetime of hard work and planning.

"My dad is a very smart businessman. My dad worked from 6 in the morning to 8 at night Monday through Saturday," Markham said.

The two were found slain at their home in what authorities described as a well-executed invasion captured on surveillance video. Nine of the couple's children were in the home during the attack, though none were injured. Eight people have been arrested in the case, including a teenager, an Air Force Sergeant and an antique mall owner.

The children were taken back to the house Saturday for the first time since the killings.

Markham said the house now has new doors and carpeting. A security gate is going in and locks have been changed.

"There were 20 family friends out there cleaning," she said. The children were anxious to get back home to their toys and go swimming, she said.

[TheMasses2009]

If you look closely at the pic; she looks resigned to her task and he still clearly looks in shock regarding what's ahead.
The best to them and everyone connected with the families.

[aChangeOfIdeas]

I hope it goes well for her! How daunting, being 26 and suddenly the parent of 13 children with disabilities. I imagine she was raised in that house and that environment, but it will be a lot different being "in charge". I hope the estate left enough money for her to be able to do this, and I hope her marriage is strong and her husband supportive. This is such good news for those thirteen children.

[excoachken]

A very foolish, impulsive decision. Can't be done without a lot of help and a ton of money. Could this be a way of outdoing "Octomom" for "sympathy riches" by becoming Triskadekamom?

[salleyjoe]

How can you possibly compare the two? This woman is not creating a situation, she is trying to keep her siblings together.

[last121868]

Yes excoachken, I am sure that is what she had in mind when she decided to raise 13 children whose parents had been murdered..to outdue the "Octomom". A very foolish comment from you, in my opinion. D****bag.

[dragyn30]

Carrying out your deceased mother's wish is far from Foolish or impulsive.

I believe this young couple will get the help they need, because they are caring for family.

Your comment is ignorant and cruel - Suleman is a sick, greedy pig, who took money from her own children, some of which have disabilities, to breed more children,again some with disbilities that she has no means to pay for!!!

These people should be commended for not walking away from these children!!! I wish them all the best!