The man accused of killing a Marietta couple in January during a Craigslist transaction may face the death penalty, if convicted.
The Macon Telegraph reports prosecutors will seek capital punishment for Ronnie Adrian "Jay" Towns, 28, for his alleged involvement in the deaths of June Runion, 66, and her husband, Elrey "Bud" Runion, 69, who were robbed and killed after posting an ad on Craisglist seeking to buy a vintage Ford Mustang.
The Runions left their Cobb County home Jan. 22 to drive to McRae in southeast Georgia and look at the car. But the vehicle didn’t exist, authorities said.
After the Runions were missing for four days, police used cellphone records to locate the couple. They were found shot in the head and hidden along a dirt road Jan. 26 in Telfair County, near where Towns’ parents live. Cellphone records indicated that Towns was the last person to talk to the Runions before their deaths, authorities said.
Towns was arrested the same day authorities found the couple's bodies after parts of his account didn't match up in interviews with detectives. Authorities also found the couple's 2003 GMC Envoy sunk in a pond not far from where the bodies were located.
According to the Telegraph, prosecutors said Towns was fired from his job at a tree-removal company in January and, therefore, needed money. He allegedly used Craigslist to lure buyers like the Runions into entering into false transactions in order to rob them.
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