The State Attorney has released the transcripts of the interviews with Henry “Cab” Tice.
In his interview, Tice described Salvano Gonzalez as a good salesman that worked for him and later for Bud Billings collecting on accounts, after Tice’s Hispanic-American Auto Sales closed. According to Tice, this is the man who got him the $20,000 loan from the Mexican mafia. Tice was told the interest was would only be $1,500 if he paid it back in five to six months.
When Tice’s car business closed, Salvano “began to panic and told me that, he had previously told me he had cousins in Atlanta, but he inferred that they were in Mexican Restaurant business…well, then he tells, me ‘they’re members of the Mexican mafia.'”
Salvano tells Tice that he used to work for them, these people don’t play, they were gonna kill. They won’t kill you, they kill your family and we got to get them this money.”
Salvano told both Billings and Tice’s ex-wife about Cab owing the Mexican mafia. Both Bud Billings and Deborah Tice couldn’t believe Tice borrowed money from the mafia. Tice told the investigators that he had a payment plan, but still owed the mafia $1500 – which is contrary to what Tice has told the media.
Tice told investigators that he thought Salvano was laundering money. He says that had been interviewed by Homeland Security also.
Tice also identified Jose Sanchez as used car dealer that launders money for the Mexican mafia and another man that the investigators only identify as Jorge.
Tice tells the investigators that he could identify him (uncertain whether he is talking about Sanchez or Jorge) as a money launder because “he goes to these car lots and pays cash for cars, he opens up a brief case and buys $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 cars and pays cash for them.”
Tice says that Sanchez had told people at the auction two months ago that Sanchez was buying his ex-wife out. Tice said that he called Jorge, after he couldn’t reach Sanchez and told Jorge, “Let me tell something, she’s my ex-wife, but that’s still family. You all are doing this to destroy their business. I’m telling you don’t go down this road with me.”
When Jorge threatened to blow his brains out, Tice replied “If you ever pull a gun on me, I’ll take it away and beat you to death with it.”
Tice went on to talk about how he turned Sanchez into Homeland Security.
Tice also told investigators that he believed the motive for the home invasion was robbery. He said that Bud Billings’ favorite statement was “Over these years, I have so much cash that I could not spend it before I die.”
He told investigators that Billings carried $20,000 in his briefcase.
Tice didn’t believe that Patrick Gonzalez was capable of the murders of the Bud and Melanie Billings. “I’ve never known him to do personally anything like that…I mean I’ve never known that part of him, if that’s part of his life.”
During the course of the interview, Tice said that Patrick and Tabatha Gonzalez had called him up last year to wish him a happy Father’s Day.
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The interview gives yet another side to the tale and gives you an idea on how difficult a job the state attorney and sheriff have.
It should be kept in mind that any confessions by those arrested for the murders of the Billingses are exempt from public record requests.