A fisherman using a magnet to find metal objects in a Georgia creek discovered a .22-caliber rifle, cell phone, and personal items belonging to an elderly couple who were murdered in 2015. The items are now considered new evidence in the trial of Ronnie Adrian “Jay” Towns, who was long suspected of killing the couple. District Attorney Tim Vaughn described the case as strong but believes the new evidence makes it even better.
The elderly couple, Bud Runion and June Runion, were killed after responding to a bogus Craigslist ad for a 1966 Mustang in rural Telfair County. Towns was initially arrested on charges of armed robbery and murder but his first indictment was dismissed due to issues with the grand jury selection process. He was indicted again in 2020 and the case was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prosecutors are now seeking the death penalty for Towns, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The rifle found in the creek matches the caliber of the gun used to kill the Runions, but investigators are still working to confirm if it was the exact weapon used in the crime. The discovery of the belongings also led to the obtaining of search warrants for a home in Telfair County where additional evidence was found. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has not released further details on the evidence found in the home.
Authorities are now preparing for Towns’ trial to begin in August, although an exact date has not been set. The new evidence found in the creek and subsequent search of a home are expected to strengthen the case against Towns. The district attorney believes that the evidence increases the likelihood of a conviction in the case. Towns’ defense team has not commented on the new developments in the case.
Despite Towns’ plea of not guilty to the charges, the discovery of the rifle and other items in the creek has significantly bolstered the prosecution’s case against him. The involvement of the fisherman who found the items by chance has led to a major breakthrough in the investigation of the 2015 murders. With the trial expected to begin in August, the hope is that justice will finally be served for Bud and June Runion after years of waiting for answers in their tragic deaths.
