Little public information is available on Rakeem Florence’s personal background before his involvement in the Pensacola double homicide. Like several others in the group, Florence was a young man who got entangled with Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., the mastermind behind the attack on the Billings family.

It’s believed Florence may have been lured in by promises of fast money. The heist was planned to be a quick grab-and-go robbery — not a murder spree — but it spiraled into a brutal home invasion that ended with two parents gunned down in front of their surveillance cameras while their children were in the house.

Florence was one of five intruders who entered the home dressed in black tactical “ninja-style” clothing, using firearms to intimidate and dominate the environment. Though he was not the shooter, his presence, planning, and participation in the invasion made him legally and morally culpable.

On the night of July 9, 2009, Rakeem Florence took part in one of Florida’s most chilling home invasions. Alongside a group led by Leonard Gonzalez Jr., Florence stormed the large home of Byrd and Melanie Billings under cover of darkness. Their goal was to steal a safe—believed to contain large sums of cash—and get out quickly.

What the intruders didn’t expect was the couple’s extensive home surveillance system, which captured parts of the attack. The house was full of children, many with special needs, but the killers showed no mercy. Byrd and Melanie were shot execution-style, while their children were spared but left deeply traumatized.

Florence was arrested soon after the murders and, understanding the gravity of the situation, agreed to a plea deal in exchange for testimony against his co-conspirators. His cooperation helped build the case against Gonzalez Jr. and the others, including identifying who pulled the trigger and providing insight into the crime’s planning.

His plea deal resulted in two concurrent 45-year sentences for second-degree murder and one concurrent 24-year sentence for home invasion robbery with a firearm. He is to serve a total of 24 years in prison, followed by 21 years of probation.