A Utah man on Friday admitted to shooting and killing a West Valley City worker in his driveway before lighting her body and truck on fire.
Kevin Wayne Billings pleaded guilty to first-degree felony aggravated murder, along with charges of aggravated arson, arson and aggravated cruelty to an animal. Several other charges, such as abuse of a dead body and possessing explosive parts, were dismissed as part of a plea deal.
He faces a maximum penalty of up to life in prison when he is sentenced May 6.
Billings had been mailed a “notice of violation” last July by code-enforcement officer Jill Robinson — papers that instructed him to improve his yard and to call city officials for a compliance inspection by Aug. 6 or face daily fines.
He called Robinson on Aug. 8, according to charging documents, and told his daughter early the next morning he had an appointment with a code-enforcement officer at 10 a.m.
By 10:21 a.m., chaos broke out on Wendy Avenue.
A West Valley City vehicle was in flames. Robinson lay dead in Billings’ driveway, with a single gunshot wound to the head. A neighboring house was also on fire — and that blaze killed four of his neighbor’s dogs.
Prosecutors wrote in court papers that Billings' neighbor came to his home after hearing a gunshot and saw Robinson was deceased. She turned to Billings, who was sitting on his walker in the driveway, smirking.
“Why did you shoot her?” the neighbor asked, according to the documents.
“I’ve had all the harassment I can take,” Billings allegedly responded.
Before the fatal shooting and fires, Billings had received several complaints in the mail about the condition of his yard and unregistered vehicles on his property, his daughter told police.
The man whose house was set on fire told police Billings had recently contacted his wife and accused them of calling code enforcement on him.
Robinson, 52, had worked for the city for 10 years in code enforcement, which includes issuing citations for vehicles parked on lawns, driveways filled with weeds or garbage piled up outside homes.
(Courtesy of West Valley City) Code enforcement officer Jill Robinson, 52, was shot and killed Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018. A 65-year-old man was taken into custody as a suspect.
