James Billiot was sentenced to death by the State of Mississippi for a triple murder
According to court documents Billiot would murder his mother, stepfather and stepsister by beating them to death with a sledgehammer
James Billiot would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
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James Billiot is incarcerated at Mississippi State Prison
James Billiot Case
On Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1981, Wallace Croll, Jr., Billiot’s stepfather, was found bludgeoned to death in his home. Billiot’s mother and Billiot’s 14-year-old stepsister were also found in the home, killed in the same manner. The bodies were found by 12-year-old Stephen Croll, Chris Lee, and George Hebbler. Young Croll, Lee and Hebbler were returning from Picayune, Mississippi, on the morning of November 26, 1981, when they saw James Billiot driving Wallace Croll’s car. They became suspicious and immediately went to Croll’s Leetown community home. There they found the bodies, as well as an 8-pound sledge hammer lying near the deceased. On the floor, they also found Wallace Croll’s wallet and several papers scattered about.
Bryan Strickland, a Leetown resident and acquaintance of Billiot’s, testified that on November 7, 1981, while at the Living Waters Church of God in Picayune, Mississippi, James Billiot told Strickland that he was going to kill his mother and his stepfather. Leo Jones testified that on the morning of November 26, 1981, he saw Billiot hitchhiking and gave him a ride from Picayune to the Leetown community. Billiot did not want to be let out in front of the Croll house in Leetown but insisted on being let out by a field near the house.
When the bodies were found, an all-points bulletin was issued in Mississippi and Louisiana and two days later Billiot was arrested by the New Orleans police department. After a hearing he was extradited to Mississippi. On April 27, 1982, appellant filed the following motions: Motion to suppress evidence; motion to change venue; motion to conduct mental examination of defendant, and motion to conduct separate hearing on robbery charges.
https://law.justia.com/cases/mississippi/supreme-court/1984/54960-0-0.html
