On Tuesday, State Attorney Bill Eddins announced his intentions for his office to move forward on the prosecution of Mary Rice for the death of Kayla Crocker which occurred in Escambia County.
Rice is currently incarcerated in Santa Rosa County Jail on a charge of Accessory after the Fact to First Degree Murder. Rice was an accomplice of Billy Boyette, who earlier this month went on a killing spree across the Florida panhandle and Alabama. In total, Boyette killed four women, one of whom was pregnant.
The Escambia County matter will be presented to a Grand Jury within the next 30 days where the State will seek an indictment against Rice for First Degree Murder. Additional investigation has indicated that there is sufficient evidence to move forward on the Escambia County prosecution at this time.
This decision was made after discussing this matter with Robert Wilters, District Attorney for Baldwin County, Ala. Any decision regarding charges that Rice may face in Alabama will be made by that office.
