Nassau County

State seeks death penalty against man accused of killing wife, adult children in their Callahan home

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — The state said it intends to seek the death penalty against a Nassau County man accused of killing his wife and two of his adult children inside their Callahan home in December.

William Conway Broyles’ alleged murders of his family members “were committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification,” the state said in its “Notice of Intent to Seek Death Penalty and Notice of Aggravating Factors,” which was filed on Jan. 26.

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Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said Broyles called 911 on Dec. 1 after he shot and killed 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.

Broyles was originally charged with three counts of second-degree murder, but his charges were upgraded to first-degree murder on Jan. 14 when he was indicted by the Nassau County grand jury.

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Cora Broyles may have had autism, Leeper said at the time of the shootings.

In its death penalty filing on Broyles, the state says, “The victim of the capital felony was particularly vulnerable due to advanced age or disability, or because the defendant stood in a position of familial or custodial authority over the victim (Count 2).”

Broyles has previously pleaded not guilty and has waived his appearance at any scheduled pre-trial hearings. He is being held in the Nassau County Jail on no bond.

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