Inset: William Broyles (WTLV). Background: The block where Broyles killed his wife and two children in 2021 (Google Maps).
A former church musician from Florida has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife and their two grown children in their home almost four years ago. He shot each of them multiple times, claiming he did so to “ensure they didn’t suffer.” Nassau County Judge Steve M. Fahlgren ruled that William C. Broyles will spend the rest of his life in a state prison without the possibility of parole for the 2021 killings of his family.
The judgment followed Broyles’ formal guilty plea to three charges of first-degree murder for the fatal shootings of his wife, 57-year-old Candace L. Broyles; his daughter, 27-year-old Cora Lynn Broyles; and his son, 28-year-old Aaron Christopher Broyles.
Court records state that on the morning of December 1, 2021, deputies from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call at the family’s residence on Deer Run Road in Callahan, Florida. Broyles identified himself during the call and informed the emergency dispatcher that he had “just shot his wife, son, and daughter, and he was outside on the driveway.”
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Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they discovered Broyles “lying down in the driveway unarmed” and waiting for them.
Deputies searched the residence and found a grisly scene inside, as all three other members of Broyles’ family were dead, with each suffering from several gunshot wounds.
In an interview with investigators, Broyles said he made sure to shoot his wife, son, and daughter “multiple times just to make sure they didn’t suffer,” Sheriff Bill Leeper said during a news conference following the murders.
Investigators said Broyles started by shooting his wife in the couple’s living room before moving on to his daughter’s room, where he shot and killed his daughter just as she was waking up. The killer then broke down the door to his son’s bedroom and shot Aaron Christopher Broyles, 28. After hitting his son with at least one round, Broyles left the room, grabbed another loaded gun, then came back and shot his son several more times.
Investigators at the time also said that after killing his family, Broyles was planning on taking his own life. However, he later confessed that he was unable to go through with it.
“When he was asked why he didn’t just shoot himself, he said he was too scared to do that, which is crazy,” Leeper said.
Leeper said investigators have “a pretty good idea” of what led to Broyles going on the horrific killing spree, but those details have not been released.
Authorities said Broyles and his family had no history of domestic violence and deputies had never been called to the house before that day.
Prior to his arrest, Broyles had been the church musician at Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church for 23 years, the organization’s website said in December 2021. He previously worked in the aerospace and medical device industries.
“Bill has been happily married for 30 years to Candace and they have three children, sons Evan and Aaron and daughter Cara, along three crazy Corgi pups,” the murderer’s bio on the church’s website said. “In his free time, Bill enjoys all types of outdoor activities, reworking older cars, and home and garden projects.”
Following his arrest, the church issued the following statement:
“It is with tremendous sadness that I report to you that this Wednesday morning Bill Broyles, our Director of Music, confessed to shooting his wife and two of his children. Bill has been part of our church staff for 23 years, and this was completely out of character. We mourn this devastating loss to the church, Bill’s remaining family, and the larger community. We ask that you would hold the members of the Broyles family, our church family, and Bill himself in your prayers regarding this tragedy.”
