Kirk Douglas Billie:
Miccosukee Indian, Kirk Douglas Billie, 36, was sentenced to life in prison for the 1997 drowning death of his sons, five-year-old Kurt and three-year-old Keith. Angry at the way his ex-girlfriend neglected their children, Bille drove her truck to the bank of a canal, left it in drive, got out and watched as it rolled down into the water. What Billie claims to not have known was that his two children were asleep in the back of the truck and drowned as it sank into the canal.
The Tribe Forgave Billie:
Billie's case caused a legal battle over tribal sovereignty when the crime fell under Florida jurisdiction because it happened a yard outside the reservation and on state property. Tribal chairman, Max Billie, said the incident was deemed an accident and Billie was forgiven. Florida authorities felt a jury should decide Billie's fate and after two trials, in which he was judged by a jury of non-native Americans, he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Billie's Volatile Past:
Kirk Billie admits to his violent past. He has fathered children from three different women and has always claimed to love his children. But his abuse against the women in his life profiles a man who is short tempered, violent, and full of rage. Despite the love he has said he has for his children, he repeatedly exposed them to his fits of violent anger and abuse when they witnessed him beating their mothers.
The Tribal Court's History With Billie:
The tribal court that forgave Billie for the incident that resulted in death of his children had previously issued a court order preventing Billie from seeing three of his children he fathered with a former girlfriend. The woman requested intervention from the court and they ruled in her favor. Billie responded by beating the woman with a baseball bat in front of the three children he was forbidden to be around.
A Child Having Children:
Billie's relationship with Sheila Tiger began when she was 13-years-old and by the age of 15 she gave birth to their first son. She, a child herself, did not seem to accept the responsibility of being a mother. Having grown up living among friends and relatives when her alcoholic mother would periodically vanish, her role model for motherhood was less than healthy. Billie constantly fought with Tiger about not being a good mother and often those fights would escalate to violence.
More Children -- More Fights:
Despite her poor mothering skills, Billie and Tiger continued to have two more children together. Tiger's lack of maturity was demonstrated by her lack of concern about the cleanliness of her home and her general disregard for bringing her children up in a normal environment. She would regularly drive around with the children sleeping in the back of her SUV until the early morning hours. This infuriated Billie and he would become abusive to her, both verbally and physically at times.
The Tribal Child Protection Team Intervenes:
In 1994, the tribal Child Protection Team intervened and placed the children under the care of Tiger's mother, Marie Jim. Billie reacted by going to Jim's home with Tiger and severely beating and kicking Jim which caused her nose to break in three places. The crime was reported to the police but the state lacked jurisdiction to prosecute.
Billie Beat Tiger with a Wooden Broomstick:
The relationship between Tiger and Billie continued to be volatile after the children were returned to her care. Billie did not like the way Tiger was raising the children and regular arguments would erupt. On one occassion Billie beat Tiger so severely with a broomstick that it broke into pieces. Tiger testified that their older son, five-year-old Kurt, would try to intervene and protect her.
Billie Threatened to Destroy Tiger's SUV:
The couple ended their relationship other than occasional sex, but this did not deter Billie from beating and verbally assaulting Tiger. He detested Tiger's poor mothering skills and often threatened to destroy Tiger's SUV because she refused to stop driving with the boys in the back seat late at night.
The Crime:
On the day before the drowning incident, Billie called Tiger several times asking that she bring over his sons. Tiger instead left the children with her 15-year-old friend, Melody Osceola, while she went to visit her boyfriend. Osceola was supposed to return to pick Tiger up later that evening but until that time Tiger told her to drive around with the kids.
Billie spent the night drinking with his friends at a bowling alley. After a short nap at a friends house, he claimed he decided to go drive around to see who was hanging out after a "Corn Dance" celebration. He spotted who he thought was Tiger driving around in her SUV and watched as she pulled into her driveway. Angry that she was being an irresponsible mother again, he parked his truck down the road and walked over to who he thought was Tiger.
When Osceola got out of the truck carrying Billie's youngest son, Kirkland, Billie jumped into Tiger's SUV and drove off. He pulled up to a bank on the canal, got out, and watched as Tiger's SUV slipped into the water.
Osceola alerted Tiger to Billie's actions and when Tiger was unable to locate him she called the police. The police placed Billie in custody, questioning him as to the whereabouts of the truck and his children. Billie was undaunted and said that he thought the police were using the questions about his childrens whereabouts to trick him into telling where the SUV was and he refused to cooperate.
On a video tape of the holding cell, there was a moment when Billie was told by his father that the children were indeed in the truck. Billie reacted by covering his face, pacing, and then falling to his knees. Billie has always claimed that he did not know before that point that the children were in the truck. After learning it, he cooperated fully with the police.
Divers found the bodies of Kurt and Keith floating inside the vehicle and were unable to resuscitate them.
Billie was sentenced to life in prison.
