Former Byron man charged with murder in 2017 shooting

A former Byron man is charged with murder more than a year and a half after he allegedly killed a friend during an argument.

David Lee Billings, age 58, is being held without bond in the Peach County jail.

Deputies brought him back Monday from North Carolina, where he now lives, according to Sheriff Terry Deese.

Billings is accused of killing Lloyd Goldie of Fort Valley in June 2017.

It happened at Billings' home on Twin Lakes Drive in Byron.

Last year, Deese and the GBI said Goldie was fatally shot after a night among friends turned violent.

GBI special agent in charge J.T. Ricketson said Goldie and others were socializing and drinking for a couple of hours when the victim turned "obnoxious and combative."

Last year, Deese said investigators initially believed that someone shot Goldie in self-defense.

But now Ricketson says interviews with people in the home, the crime scene, and evidence processed at the GBI gave them probable cause to charge Billings.

He declined to comment further on what happened or what evidence lead to the charge.

"We hadn't drawn any conclusions," he said.

Billings waived extradition from North Carolina, Deese said.