A former church musician in Florida will spend the rest of his life in prison after killing his wife of three decades and their two adult children inside their family home nearly four years ago, shooting each member multiple times because he wanted “to make sure they didn’t suffer.” On Tuesday, Nassau County Judge Steve M. Fahlgren sentenced William C. Broyles to life in a state correctional facility without parole for the 2021 murders of his nuclear family.
Broyles was sentenced after pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree murder for fatally shooting his wife, Candace L. Broyles, 57; his daughter, Cora Lynn Broyles, 27; and his son, Aaron Christopher Broyles, 28.
According to court documents, on the morning of December 1, 2021, deputies from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call at the family’s home on Deer Run Road in Callahan, Florida. The caller identified himself as Broyles and informed the emergency dispatcher that he had “just shot his wife, son, and daughter, and he was outside in the driveway.”
When first responders arrived at the scene, they found Broyles “lying down in the driveway unarmed” and waiting for them.
Deputies searched the house and discovered a grisly scene inside, with all three members of Broyles’ family dead and each suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Broyles told investigators that he shot his wife, son, and daughter “multiple times just to make sure they didn’t suffer,” Sheriff Bill Leeper said at a news conference following the murders.
According to investigators, Broyles first shot his wife in the couple’s living room before moving on to his daughter’s room, where he shot and killed her just as she awoke. The murderer 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, and returned to shoot him several times.
Investigators at the time also stated that after killing his family, Broyles intended to commit suicide. However, he later admitted that he was unable to follow through.
“When he was asked why he didn’t just shoot himself, he said he was too scared to do that, which is crazy,” Leeper told the newspaper.
Leeper stated that investigators have “a pretty good idea” of what prompted Broyles’ horrific killing spree, but no details have been released.
According to authorities, Broyles and his family had no history of domestic violence, and deputies had never been called to the home prior to that day.
Broyles worked as a church musician at Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church for 23 years before his arrest, according to the organization’s website in December 2021. He has previous experience in the aerospace and medical device industries.
“Bill has been happily married to Candace for 30 years and they have three children, sons Evan and Aaron and daughter Cara, along with 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.”
After his arrest, the church released 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.”