NASSAU COUNTY, FLORIDA, Fla. — A Nassau County man accused of killing his family of three in 2021 pleaded guilty to murder charges Tuesday, and will spend the rest of his life in prison, according to court documents obtained by First Coast News.

William Broyles, now 60, pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder Tuesday, the same day a Nassau County judge ruled him competent to stand trial, reversing a 2022 decision deeming him incompetent.

Broyles’ wife, son and daughter were shot and killed in their Callahan home on Dec. 1, 2021. He admitted to the murder, but was found mentally incompetent to stand trial in October 2022, delaying the proceedings.

His ruling is based on the evaluation of two psychologists and their testimony in court.

Tuesday, a judge reversed the decision based on a psychiatrist’s May 5, 2025, report. 

Broyles was adjudicated guilty Tuesday following his plea. He was sentenced to three terms of life in prison, to run concurrently with each other. 

Though deputies say Broyles admitted to killing his family, he was the one who called 911 when they were shot on Dec. 1, 2021.

Police say they found Broyles’ wife, Candice Lynn Broyles, his daughter, Cara Lynn Broyles, and his son, Aaron Christopher Broyles, when they arrived at the family’s home in the 55000 block of Deer Run Road.

When police arrived at the home, Broyles was lying down in the driveway, Nassau County sheriff’s deputies said. When he was arrested, deputies said that Broyles confessed to murdering all three of his family members, saying he shot them multiple times to “make sure they did not suffer.”

Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said Broyles shot his wife, Candice Lynn Broyles, 57, in the living room area. According to Leeper, he then moved to his daughter’s room, Cara Lynn Broyles, 27, where he shot her as she was first waking up.

Leeper described Cara Lynn Broyles as possibly having high-functioning autism.

William Broyles then proceeded to bust through the bedroom door of his son’s room and shoot him, Leeper said. William Broyles then left the room to get another gun and came back and shot his son again, Leeper said.

Broyles was known by neighbors as a man who “kept to himself.” Those closed to him called him Bill, and he was a prominent member of the Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church community, serving as Director of Music Ministries for 23 years. Even Leeper said that this was an unexpected crime. 

When Broyles was arrested, Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church posted:

“It is with tremendous sadness that I report to you that this Wednesday morning Bill Broyles, our Director of Music, confessed to shooting his wife and two of his children. Bill has been part of our church staff for 23 years, and this was completely out of character. We mourn this devastating loss to the church, Bill’s remaining family, and the larger community. We ask that you would hold the members of the Broyles family, our church family, and Bill himself in your prayers regarding this tragedy.”